Man and Machine
by greyblueflames98
Summary: "You put your faith in fairy tales, and your trust in the Maidens, but they are useless against the Grimm. My Titan however, is the strongest, and will not lose."- Naruto Namikaze. M for violence, lemons, and gore down the road. Poll over, Announcement taken down.
1. Ch1 The Beginning

Man and Machine

"Human Speech" /"thought"

 **"Robotic Speech"/ _"thought"_**

'Audio-log' and 'Notes/Book'

 **AN: …. You know those ideas that don't leave. Yeah, this is one of those. Enjoy the first Naruto/RWBY/Titanfall crossover. This beginning is also a two-part due to length. The rest will come ASAP.**

Chapter 1: The Beginning

-50 miles southeast of the Kingdom of Atlas. 5 years from present time-

"Wow….!"

Bright, cerulean eyes stared in childish awe at what was in front of them. From behind the 12-year boy whom the eyes belonged, his father chuckled. The two looked nearly identical as they possessed the same colored and spikily-styled hair, peachy skin tone, and the same shade of eyes. In front of the pair were two humanoid mechanical frames that were held in a standing position by chains attached to the ceiling. These frames had a height of around 15 feet, and had empty spaces in the middle. The boy looked up at his father.

"Are these the robots your working on for the military?!" Excitedly asked the child, his father nodded an affirmative. The blonde man, Minato Namikaze, crouched down to his son's level. Excitement sparkled in his eyes.

"They will be the first of humanities new guardians- our Titans." Minato beamed with pride at his creation, the product of everything he, and those before him, had learned. For as long as the Namikaze name had existed, they had been determined to learn all they about the world around them to advance mankind. The house of Namikaze had been one of the families that had built the Kingdom of Atlas, it was often said that every technological achievement of Atlas was made possible by what the early Namikazes pioneered. All this research, all this learning was to make one of two dreams a reality: to destroy the creatures of Grimm that plagued Remnant, or one day flee the planet, and find a more suitable world to call home. Minato believed that the former of the two was a better goal, and so he spent many hours thinking of ways to rid the world of Grimm.

His answer came to him in the form of Titans. Robots that would work in a partnership with a new kind of soldier that Minato simply named pilots. One year ago Minato presented his plan to General James Ironwood, a close friend. The General was hooked on the idea. He knew exactly how to implement it as well. The General suggested that once the Titans were built, the Huntsman Academy of Atlas could be used to train pilots, and have them learn to operate and fight alongside the Titans in addition with regular soldiers and hunters. Minato agreed immediately. He had left the General's office that day with the largest grin.

"One day Naruto- the Grimm that have limited our species ability to move, and grow will be wiped out by these Titans and their pilots. The instruments that will fulfill the dream of our family stand in front of us." Minato stated with great conviction, his eyes fixed firmly on the bare frames. Naruto turned back to the mechanical skeletons, his father's certainty was infectious as Naruto started to see it too, the finished Titans.

"I want to be a pilot!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed. Minato arched an eyebrow yet also smiled when his son continued with a fire in his young eyes.

"I want to help make your dream a reality!"

Minato closed his eyes with a peaceful expression. Naruto had always wanted to make a difference, and just like every Namikaze before him, Naruto had been learning all he could to somehow make that difference. The young boy was very intelligent, and had a knack for machines, he had actually already built a few engines, along with some motherboards. Good thing Minato predicted this might happen, and already had talked to General Ironwood. The military leader gave his full support.

"I thought you might say that." Minato said knowingly, and stood up to his full height. He told Naruto to follow him as he began to leave the development bay were the frames were housed, and brought him to another mechanical bay. Inside was another frame, except this one was further developed, a few pieces of armor had been welded into place, and around the room on tables were other finished components that were ready to be added on. One object that caught the young Naruto's attention was a dome-shaped piece of metal with rounded edges that a person could easily fit under.

"The General thinks that I'm only building two types of Titans but I knew you'd want to be a pilot so I designed another type of Titan." Minato walked to a console, and quickly pressed a few keys which caused a holographic display to materialize near the unfinished mech. Naruto gaped at what was undoubtedly an image of the completed machine.

"I call it- the Ogre."

-Same location, 2 years from present time-

The last members of the Namikaze family accomplished much during the last three years. Naruto had begun the training to a pilot with the help of Winter Schnee, a female Specialist that General Ironwood believed would make a fitting tutor for Naruto who was unlearned in the ways of combat. Naruto proved to be a sponge as he absorbed the information, terminology, and skills the woman had to offer. In the first six months Naruto began training, his aura was unlocked, and he unlocked his semblance, a cloaking ability that completely hid him from view by bending the light around him, and masked his scent for total stealth. Naruto had also shown to be very proficient with firearms, and quickly learned how to build his own but preferred regular guns over the multimode weapons that had proven popular with most hunters.

Minato had noticed the high-speed, almost hit-and-run combat style Winter had been teaching Naruto, and had taken that into consideration when he designed gadgets for Naruto to use when he eventually attended the Atlesian Huntsmen Academy. The first of which was a small jetpack designed to be worn around the waist that allowed for sustained wall-running, and gave the wearer a "double-jump", Naruto had nicknamed it a "Jump-kit." Minato had also developed a rather useful tool for Naruto that he called a data knife, the latter half of the name being ironic since the knife was not meant for combat, rather serving the function of hacking into computers, or other electronics. Minato had also made a lightly-armored but durable uniform with plates primarily on the legs, arms, and hands with a chestplate that also wrapped around to his back. There were pouches, and pockets placed in the fabric underneath the armor.

Lastly, Minato had designed a unique helmet that had a built-in breathing apparatus, communications system, radar, and a Heads-Up Display function. The helmet was rounded with a small flat piece above the forehead with a small bluish-white visor that had four points branched in an "X" from an irregularly-shaped circle. The pilot uniform was a custom fit that Naruto would have to get tailored as he grew, and was colored with dull grays, and blues, the same colors that Naruto's Titan would be painted.

Speaking of the Titan, Minato had made a breakthrough discovery while he had been going through the notes of one of his forefathers in search of a way to efficiently, and effectively power the Titans. He had expected to find a different method that used Dust, the resource everything in Remnant ran on, but was shocked when he had discovered an entirely new source of energy.

Nuclear energy.

A few generations before him, Minato read that Aizen Namikaze had studied deeply into radioactivity, eventually learning about the process of fission. He had listed the elements needed, uranium 235, or 238, and had built a miniature reactor of sorts that proved sustainable, and clean. However, their were downsides, big ones at that. Aizen was not aware of the harmful effects of exposure to the deadly radiation, and soon fell ill, but before he passed months later, Aizen finished his notes by indicting that the radiation could be shielded against by metals such as lead, and had even written that 'The technology of our time is too simple to safely harness this amazing source of energy, one that would free us from Dust. May the Namikazes of the future use this information that I have dedicated my life to for the betterment of Remnant.'

Minato immediately began to run tests of his own, hoping that Atlas had finally come far enough in technology to use this source of energy. To his joy, he succeeded. He had built a battery of sorts that ran a modified Bullhead, the radiation properly shielded, and the aircraft ran perfectly, better in fact than it had with Dust. Minato had the factory he, and Naruto lived in outside of Atlas converted to Nuclear energy, a large reactor built in the center of the manufacturing building. Minato had developed the batteries that would power his Titans soon after, the robots themselves had come along wonderfully, the Ogre completely assembled and operational, it's AI installed, and ready, it only needed to be activated. The other Titans, which were classed as Stryder and Atlas were completely developed only missing their AI programs. Minato had labeled the first three Titans in an IS-series based on when he thought of the individual designs. The Stryder was simply IS or IS-1, the Atlas was IS-2, and finally the Ogre was called IS-3. During one of the General's visits to check on the progress, the rate of which elated him, Ironwood, who was still unaware of the Ogre-class, had recommended that Minato design a heavy-hitting Titan that could absorb massive damage while dealing out an equal or greater amount. Ironwood jokingly called it a "Destroyer-class". Minato however, thought long and hard about the General's recommendation.

He knew that there were unknown Grimm that could potentially tear even the Ogre apart easily. For the moment, Minato decided to see how well the presentation of the Titans to the General, and a private audience would play out, then he would go back to the drawing board, and design more Titans. He never guessed what would happen the night before the General was supposed to arrive.

 **"Sir."**

Minato was stirred from a deep sleep by a feminine with a mechanical tone. The highly intelligent man lifted up his upper body from the desk he fell asleep on when he meant to take a short rest. The automated lights had been programmed to turn off past a certain time unless otherwise stated, Minato loved vocal controls. Right now, the only light available was from the soft glow of the multiple monitors.

"What happened Ash?" Minato asked noticing that it was much later than he remembered. The Spectre, a type of combat drone Minato designed two years ago to replace human foot-soldiers that had a wedge-shaped head, answered with a tinge of worry, the A.I. installed in that specific unit had learned, and experienced enough to develop a personality.

 **"The hidden long-range security cameras picked a large number of incoming White Fang units that seem to be equipped for assault, and siege. Auto-Turrets, and finished prototype Spectres have been deployed. Our forces however are insufficient, this battle is lost, recommend evacuation."**

With a lowered head, Minato cursed as he slammed a fist on the desk below. Of course, right when he was so close to achieving his family's mission, the universe throws a wrench in his plans. Minato bolted upright, and quickly went to a nearby computer, and begun to type on the keyboard. As he did this, Minato gave instructions to Ash.

"I need you to escort me to the reactor."

As the Namikaze finished, a memory card popped out from the tower as gunfire announced the start of the already lost defense. The computer began to show live footage of the battle outside, the terrorist were well-equipped for raids, armed with heavy weapons such as LMGs, and some possessing rocket launchers, and riot shields for defense. Damn, these weren't the idiot fodder, they had actually received further training. That wasn't good at all. Minato couldn't risk the information that his family had collected over generations to fall into the White Fang's or worse still, himself and Naruto captured by the terrorists, forced to use their genius for a meaningless cause.

 **"What of young Naruto? Should I redirect a small number of units to retrieve him?"**

Minato shook his head negatively. The forces they had should be focused on holding off the attack. The inventor/engineer turned around and went to another console that had wires extending out from the back. Minato breathed in, his eyes narrowed as he began to type with a single hand, the other held the memory card. When he finished inputting commands, Minato exhaled, and looked at what the wires were connected to. Then he hit the enter key.

Naruto was awoken by various crashing sounds, his location in the base too far inside for the gunfire to be heard through the thick, reinforced walls. Whatever sleep remained vanished as Naruto realized the proximity of those crashes, and that whatever caused them was big. With wide eyes, Naruto rolled off the side of his bed closest to the outer wall of his room, expecting the inner wall to smashed apart. Instead of his room losing a wall, Naruto heard a mechanical voice call out to him. It had an urgent tone, but also was calm, and composed.

 **"Naruto Namikaze, it is of grave importance that you exit your quarters, and allow me to escort you to the reactor. Please bring your Pilot gear."**

Naruto didn't understand what was going on, but when he heard an explosion, he immediately complied. In under two minutes, Naruto gathered his Pilot uniform, jump-kit, helmet, and the Hack Knife along with a few unread journals that contained notes from his ancestors, one of which could be called the father of medicine. Naruto put on the uniform quickly, knowing that he had a better chance with the equipment on, and put the rest in a duffel bag along with clothes, and some other personal items such as pictures, and his scroll which he turned off as a precaution. The young Namikaze wished he had a gun since the Hack Knife wasn't meant for combat, but if what his dad sent to get him- there wasn't anyone else who could've sent it- was what he thought it was, then Naruto wouldn't need to worry about defending himself.

The blonde-teen went to the door, and pushed it open. What he saw confirmed what he been thinking.

"IS-3." Naruto breathed out, unable to not be awed by the masterpiece of engineering that towered over him. It's armored form was the personification of the term "Walking Tank" boasting more metal than a train, especially around the pouch-covered midsection. It's shoulders had thick, outwardly-rounded slabs of steel with rails on the top that acted as guards, and the rest of its arms were heavily reinforced with steel. The legs were also armored, obvious knee guards were placed in front of the joint, and the flat feet had two separate pieces of angled metal that guarded them, thick, rectangular studs lined those pieces. The thighs seemed to have the thickest armor, which was only because of another plate of steel that had rails on it. Lastly was the head/cockpit, a dome-shaped hatch that was heavily sloped upwards, perfectly able to bounce shots from any infantry weapon. There was also an optical-system on the left side of the Titan's head, a fully oscillating unit that had three cameras; possibly just in case one was damaged there were two others so the Titan wasn't blinded. Then again, the armor, and glass- Naruto doubted it was regular glass- were pretty thick, and sloped so perhaps that wasn't likely to happen.

 **"Yes, that is my designation Pilot."** Replied the Titan as it- no, he- knelt down with it's wrist placed in front of his chest as a platform for Naruto to jump on. Catching the hint Naruto leapt as the hatch opened, and revealed a light-blue interior around cushioned chair surrounded by buttons, switches, and a few screens. Naruto breathed in before he jumped inside, twisting his body mid-air so that he landed with his rear on the seat. As the hatch closed over Naruto, blinking lights, and the glow of screens were the only things to illuminate the space inside. Naruto heard IS-3 speak through the comms system built into his helmet, probably to avoid speaking out loud, though Naruto didn't think it would make much difference. IS-3 had begun to slowly jog through walls again.

 **"Hostile environment combined with multiple systems still offline due to my rushed activation have rendered it unwise to link with Pilot until all systems are fully operational."**

Naruto noticed a slight tinge of annoyance in IS-3's voice. The teenage Namikaze grimaced.

"Please tell me that your combat ready?"

 **"Negative. Minato Namikaze only activated my ocular, vocal, motor, and coordination systems."** Answered the Ogre-Class, still slightly irritated.

 **"Targeting, shields- particle and vortex-, and weapon handling programming are inactive. The most I am capable of is punching."** The Titan finished after he bashed his massive bulk through another wall.

"That could still kill mostly everything in Remnant." Naruto commented in a deadpan. His dad told him that when finished, an Ogre-Class Titan would weigh around 60 tons. IS-3 was the last thing Naruto wanted to be punched by.

 **"It is ineffective."**

The explosion of another rocket would've made Naruto jump had he been standing up.

"Who's attacking? How did they find the factory?" Naruto asked, confused since the only person who knew where he, and his father lived was Ironwood and the council of Atlas, that information was to be kept private for the Namikaze family's safety. Previous generations had contributed much to Atlas and mankind as a whole but, their methods weren't always… humane. Three in particular had the most morbid ways of conducting research.

 **"Surveillance camera footage showed that multiple White Fang elite units were heading for this base with obvious intent. How they came to know this location is unknown."** Answered IS-3 as another wall was smashed through. The Titan slowed down, his pace a walk now. Naruto heard the hatch release as it began to open.

 **"We have arrived."**

The chamber where the reactor was had been built to also serve the future storage of Titan batteries, of which only three existed with only one installed in a Titan. The room used to be a perfect circle, but an IS-3 sized hole ruined it. The circular room was lined with metal panels that contained the pipes that led the water that was used to cool the hellish heat of the reactor that was in the center of the room and prevent overheating. The chamber was large given that Minato planned to convert this area to also be where the Titans would have their batteries installed, he figured that it might be better to have all the hazardous materials in one place. The room was large enough for IS-3 to move around in as it lumbered towards the center of the reactor where Minato stood at a console with Ash next to him. Naruto had already leapt out of the cockpit, and rushed to his father.

"Dad, you got a plan?" Naruto asked with a slightly calm, but also frazzled tone. Minato flashed his son a reassuring smile yet didn't hide the stress in his eyes. What he hid was the guilt he felt for what he was about- what he had to do to preserve the Namikaze line.

"Yeah, I do." Minato confirmed as he quickly tapped on the keyboard of the console he stood next to. The console was primarily used to monitor the condition and stability of the small but powerful uranium-powered reactor housed in the chamber. The reactor itself was cylindrical, and connected to both the floor, and the ceiling, the water pipes connected to the top. The materials used for the reactor both absorbed, and prevented radiation from escaping so the chamber was safe for people to be in for prolonged periods of time. Still, Minato was a cautious man, so as a little bit of insurance, he had something else built in case the reactor was ever compromised or a detonation was unavoidable.

Everyone in the room felt the floor shudder as a large section of it began to quickly slide away, and reveal a staircase. The movement made a hole big enough to fit IS-3. Minato walked over to Naruto, the memory card in his hand.

"Here's what going to happen." Spoke the elder Namikaze, all attention on him.

"That hidden stairway leads to a tunnel that goes to a bunker two miles away from this location. I designed it just in case the reactor was going to blow. The floor here is made of five-foot thick titanium, and the bunker is far outside of the blast, and fallout zones." Minato stopped for a quick breath.

"You three are going to head to that bunker while I cover your tracks." Minato finished.

"But with the White Fang attacking you'll be taken prisoner!" Naruto objected, followed by IS-3.

 **"I agree. Your capture is a 99.999% certainty."**

Despite the situation Minato smiled. They weren't even linked, and they already were on each other's side. Ash had stayed silent until now.

 **"You plan to scuttle the factory don't you, creator."** She stated with a tinge of apprehension.

Minato only nodded with a sullen expression much to Naruto's shock.

"I refuse to allow those terrorists to turn my guardians into their weapons to make a false 'Equality'" Minato spat in disgust. Ash nodded, as did IS-3. They understood that if this base was allowed to continue, the White Fang would find destructive tools to aid them in their endeavors. That could not be allowed.

 _ **"His logic is sound."** _ Both machines thought.

"Dad can't you-" Naruto tried to find another way to avoid the step his father felt was needed, but before he could say anymore, Minato pulled him into a tight hug.

"Stop. Don't make this harder for me." Minato sniffled as his shoulders began to tremble.

"I don't want to leave you, but there isn't another way. Ash can't make the reactor blow in time, and I need IS-3 to protect you." As Minato spoke his tears began to fall while Naruto embraced his father.

"You need to keep the Namikaze mission alive." Minato reluctantly broke the embrace, and held the memory card in front of Naruto. It was so small yet carried generations worth of knowledge.

"This- this is our family. Generations worth of research, theories, and discoveries all for the purpose of eradicating the Grimm, or getting Humanity off this planet. My Titans were built for the first option Naruto. Please," Minato pleaded for his son to cease his resistance.

"Don't let my- don't let our family's dream die."

With his eyes red from tears, Naruto took the memory card with a shaky hand, reluctantly accepting the torch passed to him. Naruto took one last look at his father, the man who taught him so much.

"I love you." Naruto choked out as walked away from his father, both aware that this was the last time they would see each other.

"You'll always have me with you, just look into my notes, and you'll feel me there." Minato said as reached the console.

 **"All friendly turrets, and Spectres destroyed. We must escape now."** Ash announced as she climbed on the back of IS-3's massive frame. The Titan bent down, and gently picked up it's Pilot, and placed him inside the cockpit. As the hatch closed, Naruto kept staring at his dad's face, Minato smiling the entire time before it closed, and the Titan jumped down the hole. The floor began to quickly close soon after the Titan landed. Minato touched the metallic shielding of the reactor with a sigh, all this work… and now he had to destroy it.

"Now I know how great-great granddad felt when he learned that he wasted a decade of his life researching for a difference between humans and Faunus only to find there's nothing major outside the obvious." Minato spoke dryly as the reactor began to glow blue, his eye twitched a bit too much. Minato had a bit of a dangerous semblance, one that he sometimes lost control of when he got annoyed, particularly at certain council members of Atlas when they tried to slow the march of progress with their greed. Minato smiled as recalled what happened during one meeting where that happened, the Namikaze got his way in the end, and the council let him have this facility. Granted he had to design a robot solider for them to mass produce, but that wasn't too big of deal to him, he didn't put much thought into the Knights' design anyway.

Soon, Minato saw the forms of the Faunus radicals coming through the blackened hallway. The last few generations Namikaze family had a mixed heritage thanks to Minato's great-great granddad, and great granddad, both decided to marry Faunus despite the stigma of their times so most Namikaze had excellent night vision, and heightened senses, but not to the degree of full-blooded Faunus.

"Well that took long enough." Minato said loud enough for them to hear. The elite unit was surprised that the human target saw them, but hid it. Their uniforms were much darker than the foot solider variant, and their masks customized to the individual.

"Human, step away from the console, and get down on your knees." Ordered the one upfront, his revolver/dagger held in gun-mode. He didn't want to damage the target, they needed him to learn how to use this factory. After that, he didn't care.

"You know, the first mecha-shift weapon was built by my grandma when she was in her twenties- two revolvers that combined into an twin barreled SMG." Minato said as he complied.

"That's nice." Spoke the same Faunus, deciding to humor the man. He looked at the glowing reactor.

"What's that? A nightlight for your brat?"

"No!" Minato answered, suddenly a crazed grin threatened to split his face.

"That's a bomb I made with my semblance that's going to kill us all!"

With that said, Minato laughed as the glow increased, and then…. Nothing.

30 feet under the ground, dust fell from the reinforced titanium ceiling as everything shook. IS-3 stopped for a few seconds before Ash told the Ogre to keep moving. The female-voiced machine could hear Naruto wails from outside IS-3's hull.

 _"Something happen to get me out of here."_

That thought belonged to General James Ironwood as he stood away from the crowd of people at the rather grandiose "Charity" event he was attending. The General was surrounded by black and white, the chosen colors for the decorations of the ballroom, multiple couples in the center while most stood along the tables that were filled with exquisite delicacies native to Atlas. The ballroom was filled with classical music and the chatter of the upper-class. For a new comer, this would seem to be quite a normal if lavish party, but Ironwood knew better.

Despite the polite words, and gentle music that was played, the General recognized this as a warzone. Behind every smile here was an agenda. Every greeting would lead to a favor, or bribe, and gossip ran wild. In this setting, an accidental revealing of one's business trouble was the equivalent of a surprise ambush if said in front of the right people. So while not a literal war, this ballroom was certainly a battlefield of pride, and business.

It filled the tall General with disgust. He made a note to have his uniform- which consisted of a white overcoat that covered a gray undercoat, and a black sweater with a red necktie, while his legs were clothed by a white pair of suit pants that were tucked into sliver boots with gray accents- washed, and dry cleaned. Still, things could definitely be worse mused the mostly black-haired military leader as his sharp blue eyes noticed the plight of one of his lieutenants.

While her superior officer could at least withdraw away to unoccupied corner, Winter Schnee was more or less forced to sit with her dysfunctional family to keep up appearances. At least she wasn't forced to be a dress, her military uniform saved her from that fate. Winter was tall, attractive pale-skinned woman with slate-colored eyes, and hair the same shade of white as freshly fallen snow. Said hair was styled in leftward bun that caused her bangs to fall across the right side of her face. The female specialist sat with her two younger siblings, Whitley and Weiss, at her sides with their father across the table, instructing them for the umpteenth time on who to avoid talking to, who to talk, how to act, how to speak, etc.

Ironwood shook his head. That man really needed to learn to relax, no wonder why Winter left. Oh dust, another one of those women whose rich husband was about to, or already had lost it all was coming to where stood. Her intent obvious.

 _"I would rather deal with a crisis than be here!"_

Careful what you wish for, Jimmy. They usually end up backfiring.

Right before the woman could open her mouth, two Atlesian soldiers in full body armor came into the opened doors, and immediately zeroed in on their commander. The General noticed the quick, urgent pace they walked towards him, which furrowed his eyebrows. This wasn't good.

"Report." Ironwood commanded calmly, with his hands held behind his back. The party had been silenced as all payed attention to whatever was going on.

"Sir, we need you, and Specialist Schnee to come with us." Answered the closest one, his voice attempted to sound calm yet he failed to hide how shaken he was. Winter had to stop herself from leaping out of that chair, and cheering when she heard her name.

"You both need to see something immediately."

The General nodded, and moved at a quickened pace towards the opening of the room.

"Schnee! Let's move!" Ordered Ironwood, the Specialist instantly complied, and gave her siblings a short farewell, while Jacque only received a simple "Goodbye". Whitley, her youngest brother frowned at his sister's retreating back.

"She never spends time with us. It's either work or she's with the Namikaze heir." Spoke the only male of the Schnee children, jealousy in his tone. His father barely restrained a smirk.

"That's what happens when you join the military. You lose sight of what's important." Jacques stated with partial contempt, but mostly mock sadness. He believed that Ironwood had stolen his eldest away, and now refused to let him have another. Weiss remained silent though she felt the same jealousy as her brother, but to a less degree. She just wanted her sister back.

-With Ironwood and co.-

Once outside of the building where the party was held, the General saw a Bullhead waiting for them on the street.

"Soldier, what's going on?" Ironwood asked the one on his right.

In response, the man simply pointed southeast. Both Ironwood, and Winter looked in the direction indicated, and their mouths fell open in shock. The General's hands fell to his side while Winter's covered her mouth. Because the windows of the building they were previously in had opaque white curtains over them, no one inside was able to see the sight that the two currently saw, and Ironwood knew that was good thing. Every single person would have panicked if they saw the impossibly large explosion that resembled a mushroom rise in the distance.

"I want our boarders to have twice as many men guarding them, and our ships on standby." Ironwood ordered, still in disbelief. He turned to the stunned Winter, her mind obviously had the same thought he did. There was only one place where that explosion could have originated.

"Schnee!" Ironwoods stern voice snapped Winter out of her frozen state.

"Get on the Bullhead. We're going to the Namikazes."

-Back to Naruto. Inside the bunker-

 **"We are here."** Announced IS-3 as he stopped in front of a heavy-duty, reinforced bulkhead. Ash had leapt down, and quickly went to a panel that slid open as soon as the Spectre got close. Her metallic digits quickly punched in the word 'Ignorance' on the keypad that was inside. A green light flashed as the bulkhead began to open, revealing a shelter of sorts: there was a bed, boxes labeled with the word 'food', and a console hooked up to a supercomputer. As soon as the opening was wide enough, the only Titan walked inside, the ceiling just barely taller than him. Both machines noticed an elevator of sorts that was large enough to fit IS-3, and at least three other Ogre-Class Titans. They concluded that their creator truly did plan for everything. The bulkhead had closed, and a hissing sound was heard as the stale air was removed, and replaced with clean, filter air, the life-preservation systems coming online. Ash noticed the computer activate, and decided now was the time to completely activate IS-3. But first, the memory card was needed.

 **"IS-3, is Naruto in a stable state?" I** nquired Ash, hesitant to bother her creator's offspring. Despite being a machine, the Artificial Intelligence that was called "Ash" had experienced enough, and learned enough to begin to grasp at emotions, hence why it identified herself with a gender based on voice. Right now, Ash could only calculate the emotional state that young Naruto was in.

The Titan didn't respond as the hatch that concealed the piloting compartment opened and Naruto himself crawled out, his Titan knelt down to lessen the distance to the hard floor. The 15-year old's eyes were red with still unshed tears, and his body trembled as he shakily walked to Ash. IS-3 carefully observed his pilot's movements, aware of the potentially volatile state Naruto was in.

"Wh-what do you need, Ash?" Naruto's voice was hoarse from his wails that were ready to start again at a moments notice. His world had just been shattered, he had already lost his mother to the Grimm, and now his father to the White Fang?! What next?!

 **"I require the memory card. It is needed to fully activate IS-3's programs."** Ash quickly explained, the machine could tell that Naruto was at the breaking point. Despite being physically unharmed, Ash knew that the emotional scarring was enough, and now she needed to wait. Just wait and observe. How Naruto dealt with this tragedy would show just how much his family's curse would affect him. Every Namikaze had some sort of trigger, along with some sort of obsession, and a deficiency, always being mentally unhinged to some degree. That was the price they payed for their almost superhuman intelligence. Nothing had it's drawbacks.

Without a word, Naruto robotically handed the small yet precious object to Ash. She guessed that she was pleased to see that he wasn't possessive of it seeing as it was all he had left of his family's history aside from a few journals. Naruto silently went to the bed while Ash signaled IS-3 to come to her. As Naruto carefully removed the armor that was crafted for him, his tears silently fell. The armor, helmet, and bodysuit were neatly placed on the floor, the metal sections placed on top of the durable fabric. With the armor off, Naruto laid down, the emotional drainage immediately threw him into a deep, and thankfully dreamless sleep.

The two machines felt relief as their charge lost consciousness, though IS-3 kept a close optic on him, just in case. The Ogre was motionless as it stood near the console, Ash quickly connected wires to his CPU that would link him to the high-tech computer. Once finished Ash immediately inserted the memory card, and searched for the files she required. Once found, Ash began the process of unlocking all of IS-3's systems, the back-up reactor Minato had built to power the bunker boosted the already speedy process.

Within ten minutes, all of IS-3's protocols, and equipment would be online. The Ogre would soon be fully awakened.

Ten minutes would have made the difference, and Minato would still be alive since even without a pilot, IS-3 undoubtedly would have decimated the entire invasion force. But, as Ash went to check other functions of the console and computer, she recalled that it no longer mattered, and that it was pointless for a machine to waste it's time calculating different results to what already happened. Time could not be reversed, and influenced for other event to occur.

As the machine calculated, there was a also communications system installed in the computer, one able to send signals outwards despite being underground. No doubt Atlesian personnel had noticed the explosion, and were on their way to investigate. Ash speedily tapped in a number, IS-3 more concerned with watching over Naruto which was fine since the Spectre was the only one of the two HE would recognize. With the volume lowered to setting that would not disturb the asleep Naruto, Ash contacted Minato's closest ally, General James Ironwood.

A few seconds went by before Ash saw the General's face appear on the screen.

"Ash! What the hell happened out there?!" Immediately demanded the General, the Bullhead had just made it to the hangers were the Atlesian airships were stored, all ready to launch.

 **"In response to the unexpected, and successful siege of elite White Fang squads, Minato Namikaze was forced to use his semblance, Explosive Contact, to detonate the reactor that powered the future Titan manufacturing factory in order to prevent his research, and the two fully-built Titans from falling into their hands."**

Ironwood couldn't believe it! How the hell did the White Fang know were the Namikaze lived?!

"Did she just say 'White Fang'?" The cold voice of Winter Schnee spoke from her place next to her superior officer. James grit his teeth. He didn't need this right now! As he, and a uncomfortably calm Winter hurried to a frigate, he asked a question that he knew would break Winter off from the White Fang.

"Where is Naruto? Is he safe?"

 **"Affirmative. Naruto Namikaze was brought to the reactor room by the 'Ogre' Heavy-Class Titan IS-3 on orders of Minato Namikaze. I accompanied them to a bunker two miles away from the blast radius, safe from the deadly radiation undoubtedly poisoning everything within a mile distance."**

Both military personnel breathed a sigh of relief. Than a certain detail hit Ironwood.

"Ogre-Class?" He repeated incredulously.

"Minato only told me about the Atlas, and Stryder!"

Ash's voice continued from Ironwood's scroll as he, and Winter reached the bridge of the frigate 'Ice Blade', the ship about to launch.

 **"Yes, this one was supposed to be a surprise. Minato had secretly designed, and started building the Heavy Titan as a personalized partner for his son. It was meant to be unveiled during your next visit."**

The bridge was silent as the ship launched into the night sky, the captain ready to receive orders.

"Where's our heading, sir?" Respectfully inquired the captain. Ironwood almost didn't hear him while Winter was dead to the world, the intel Ash gave was all that mattered.

"Ash, where is your exact location. I'm in the 'Ice Blade' heading straight for the factory."

 **"The bunker is two miles south of the factory but due to the hazardous radiation undoubtedly in the air, I recommend going around the base by two miles then correct course, and rendezvous at our location. Sending coordinates."** Ash advised Ironwood, the crew also took heed of the warning, and immediately did as instructed.

"Ash, is Naruto…" Ironwood wasn't sure of what to say.

 **"…I believe it would be better for you to see him yourself**." Ash stated. James simply nodded as he received the coordinates, and relayed them to the navigators. Winter stood away from everyone else, her most likely in overdrive from concern over her prized student. Ironwood knew however that after this, Naruto would never be the same. He just prayed that the Namikaze curse didn't affect him as greatly as did some of his ancestors. The General grit his teeth, and clenched his fists. He had no idea how those terrorists knew where the Namikazes lived, but this would not go unpunished.

 _"The Namikazes are the very reason Atlas is as technologically, medically, and militarily as advanced as it is! This attack on the very foundation of Atlas will cost them dearly…_ " Vowed the General internally. From here on, eradicating the White Fang would not just be a priority, it would be a personal mission of the General, and he would use everything at his disposal to ensure that goal was accomplished.

-Back to the bunker-

 **"The link must be established."** Ash told IS-3. The process had finished much quicker than expected, and a quick diagnostic showed no flaw, or bug in IS-3's programming. The Ogre was now completely activated. Now, a other step had to be taken, a rather risky one given Naruto's state of mind. After, when neurologically connecting a human mind to a machine, it was best for the participant to be in the best state of mind. Right now, Naruto was anything but in a right state of mind, both machines stood over the sleeping blond, their voices lowered to avoid awakening Naruto.

 **"While I would prefer to be linked with Naruto as soon as possible, waiting until he has had some time to compose himself would be better."** Offered IS-3, the Titan in favor of holding off for now. The Spectre however, was against waiting.

 **"That may take months. There is no telling where Ironwood will place Naruto, or if we will be permitted to stay with him."** Ash retorted, using the uncertainty of their situation to convince the Titan.

 **"During the mental simulations Minato had Naruto undertake to see how the Titan link would effect the human mind, Naruto reported that he felt that there was someone watching his back. That he was never alone."** Ash paraphrased the actual report.

 **"The young Namikaze is unstable, and needs an anchor to hold him steady as he deals with these unfortunate developments. You are the anchor he needs."**

The Spectre knew she needn't say more when IS-3 went silent, obviously calculating the risks, and benefits in light of the new information.

 **"Outcome is uncertain."** IS-3 finally stated.

 **"There is a chance that the mental stress from Minato's death could cause the link to have a negative effect on his mind, possibly resulting in mental damage."**

Ash made a sound that could have qualified as a sigh.

 **"As a Namikaze, he was born with 'screws loose' as humans say, what happened will show how many, and how loose they are."** Ash spoke, the data on the Namikazes history of mental issues archived in her memory banks. Unhealthy obsessions, murderous, and sociopathic tendencies were most often the case. That was why Ash saw it as imperative to link Naruto with IS-3 immediately, so that the young Namikaze would have some sort of mental rock to rely on. Of course, the General, and Schnee would also be welcomed supports to reduce the damage, granted most of it was already done.

 **"How far away is the General?"** The deep voice of IS-3 took the Spectre out of it's musings.

 **"Two minutes and decreasing. He must have slowed his ship down so not to pass over our coordinates.** "

The Titan knelt down. Ash saw that her reasoning broke through.

 **"The linking process should take approximately one minute."** Ash told IS-3 as the Titan very gently nudged at Naruto's sleeping body. It took a few tries, but soon Naruto had woke up. Groggily, the last Namikaze sat up in the bad, and turned to see the machines, the painful events still fresh in his mind.

"Why did you wake me up?" Naruto asked gloomily.

 **"The General is almost here,"** Ash answered, Naruto's head lifted up. He wasn't aware that Ironwood was coming.

 **"Naruto, we need to link you to IS-3. I have hypothesized that since you said that the simulation link made you feel more relaxed, then the actual Titan link may help you cope."**

Naruto paused before responding. He was thankful that the female-sounding Spectre didn't go further, and he knew what she was getting at. Right now, he was pain, and the Spectre saw a way to at least take some of it away.

"Ok." Naruto took the blanket off his body and got out of the bed. IS-3 had stayed in it's kneeling position, the hatch open, and mechanical arm held in front of it's armored chest.

 **"The helmet is the only required object. This process will only take one minute."** IS-3 informed his soon-to-be linked Pilot. Naruto picked up the helmet, the visor faced him as Naruto stared at it. His father made this for him. His father designed IS-3 for him. This is what he would want.

 _"I will make our family's dream a reality."_ Naruto swore as he placed the helmet on. For some reason, it seemed to fit better now, like it belonged on him. Naruto leapt on the arm, and once more sat inside the cockpit of IS-3. When the hatch closed, Naruto's heard IS-3's speak as the Heads Up Display (HUD) installed on his helmets visor started to show multiple green lights.

 **"Protocol 1: Link to Pilot."**

The lights consumed Naruto's vision before they disappeared, and a familiar feeling of safety swelled within Naruto. It didn't completely take away the heart-wrenching pain that consumed Naruto's heart, but it took away the feeling that he was alone. Then again, Ash was there as well, and wouldn't leave him.

 **"Protocol 2: Protect the Pilot."**

Naruto saw a message flash onto his HUD that said 'Link Established' that soon blinked away.

 **"Neural link successful."** IS-3 stated as the hatch opened once more which prompted Naruto to jump out. He took the helmet off, and sat on the bed, his mind fully awake. He supposed he'd wait for Ironwood to arrive which didn't take long. The computer screen flashed on, and the General's face appeared.

"Ash, we've arrived at the coordinates, copy?"

Naruto went to the console the second he heard Ironwood's finished.

"General!"

Upon seeing Naruto on the screen, Ironwood breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto was visually confirmed to be unhurt physically. Winter heard Naruto's voice, and was about to walk over , but Ironwood waved her off. He mouthed 'Wait for him to be on the ship' at her. The Specialist nodded, and headed down to the cargo bay.

"Naruto, exit the bunker with Ash, and the Titan." Ironwood instructed the blonde, who nodded an affirmative.

"We're bringing the ship lower, and opening the cargo bay doors."

"Got it." Naruto stated before the call was cut. IS-3 was already at the elevator while Ash had gathered Naruto's armor, and put the pieces in his duffle bag. She then went to console and tapped on a few keys before the Spectre quickly went to the elevator, and hit the up button. As they rose higher, the roof slid open, the rest of the elevator shaft revealed. When the car of the elevator passed the roof-opening, it resealed itself.

"Dad really was thorough when he designed this place…." Naruto sadly observed with a sorrowful smile.

 **"Yes, he even made a self-destruction function that will destroy the bunker from within."** Ash shared. Naruto couldn't help but to shake his head, leave it to dad to think that far ahead.

 **"It will activate soon after we leave the elevator**."

Both Naruto and IS-3 turned to Spectre.

"…" Naruto was silent.

 **"Is that a necessary action?"** Asked IS-3. All the Spectre did was nod, and say two small sentences.

 **"You may see it as overkill. It is.** "

The Ogre moved a bit closer to his pilot, unsure of how stable the Spectre was.

After the lift had reached the top exit, cleverly hidden inside of a boulder, the trio left, and soon saw the massive airship just barely above the treetops. As Ironwood said, the cargo bay doors were opened, and men had grappled down with heavy-duty steel cables that were more than able to pick up IS-3. When the cables were hooked onto IS-3's frame, Naruto embarked the Titan while Ash rode on it's back. After confirming the stability and strength of the cables, the winches inside the airship reeled in IS-3 like a fish, the mech quickly lifted into the cargo hold. Once inside, a magnetic crane was used to hold the Titan above the opening in underside of the ship until it closed, much to IS-3's displeasure.

Ironwood had walked down to the cargo bay, Winter already there, the two watched silently as the Titan was let down. They couldn't help but feel slightly awed at how advanced the walking tank looked, it's armored for seem to radiate dominance. The Ogre began to move towards them in large strides, the gap between them soon closed as the 15 foot tall mech stopped in front of them, and knelt down while Ash climbed off it's back.

They saw the top open, and out climbed Naruto who tried to look happy to see them, but failed when tears began to fall, and his knees buckled. The emotional drainage forced him to his knees.

"It's alright, let it out." Winter had gotten down on her knees, and tightly held Naruto, his head was on her shoulder. Twin rivers began to flow from Naruto's eyes as he silently let it all out, his sorrow, rage, his confusion, everything came out. Ironwood had drew closer to the silently crying Naruto held by Winter, and got down to one knee. Winter, her shoulder soaked with tears temporarily removed herself from Naruto's body as Ironwood put a comforting hand on the mid-teen's shoulder, the broken glaciers that were Naruto's eyes looked up at the General as the military leader stared straight into his eyes and spoke with conviction.

"I promise you Naruto, I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety. You are my top priority."

Naruto tried to thank the General, but his voice wouldn't work, the sobs choked it. James assured Naruto that he didn't need to say anything.

"Minato… he was my friend. I'll be damned if I let his son die before me." Ironwood stood up, and offered Naruto a hand, which the blonde took. Together, Winter and James lifted Naruto to his feet, the Spectre and Titan had stood silently. Ironwood gave Naruto a last glance, and flashed him a reassuring smile, and squeezed the blonde's shoulder.

"Winter take Naruto to your quarters. I doubt he'll want to sleep alone tonight." James softly requested. Winter nodded, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Ironwood let his face fall when he turned his back to the leaving teacher and student.

 **"You care deeply for him."** Observed IS-3 as the Titan knelt closer to the General's level.

"Minato was like a brother to me." Solemnly admitted Ironwood as he lifted his face to look at the taller machine in the… optic.

"And Naruto is like a son. I refuse to allow anything more to happen to him."

 **"Acknowledged. Permission to stay with Naruto as a guardian."** Requested the Titan.

"I never intended to take you or Ash away from Naruto." Ironwood assured the machines. They were all Naruto had left of his father.

 **"But there is something you do require."** Ash assumed. She wad proven correct when Ironwood nodded.

"All I want to know is if the plans for the other Titans, Minato's notes, and if the Namikaze Library- all the information they've collected, is that destroyed? Lost forever?"

 **"No."** Ash answered much to the General's relief.

 **"Minato managed to copy all of that information on a single memory card that is now in the possession of Naruto Namikaze."** Ash explained.

 **"Minato entrusted Naruto with the family legacy."**

"And in his hands it will remain." Ironwood stated definitively. He knew how badly Atlas could use that information, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It would be like betraying the promise he made to Minato.

 _"Naruto will be the first pilot, Atlas is strong enough to wait. While not Namikazes, there are others with minds capable of keeping us on the march of progress until Naruto is ready to take up the mantle of his family, and lead the way in human advancement.."_ The General thought to himself.

 **"General."** The deep voice of IS-3 brought Ironwood out of his thoughts.

 **"We need to address the issue of how the White Fang knew where the residence of the Namikazes was located."**

The General nodded. That had been in the back of his mind, how did those thugs know? The only people who knew that information were on the Atlesian council. Ironwood cupped his chin.

"The Atlesian council does know were the Namikazes… used to live," Ironwood had to correct himself mentally before he spoke physically. "But while they did disagree with Minato on more than a few occasions, in the end, they trusted him, or at least, they trusted the money he made them."

 **"Did they know of the Titan or Spectre programs?"** Ash asked. The General nodded, and spoke again.

"They applauded after Minato announced the projects. He stated that the Spectres would blow the Knights away, and that the Titans and Pilots would dominate the ground."

 **"Could someone have told an outside person?"** IS-3 offered. The General slapped his forehead with his uncovered hand. The Titan tilted it's torso to the side, unsure of the General's gesture.

 **"Is that a negative?"**

"No, it's an affirmative." Ironwood breathed out. Of course some of the council members would open their big mouths! At least Ironwood knew that the idiots who did speak only told their financial backers, high military personnel, or leaders of industry.

… Leaders of industry.

 _"Minato had no shortage of rivals, after all he is- was leading in the race of robotic advancement for military, and civilian usage."_

 **"General, have you come up with something?"** Inquired IS-3, to which Ironwood crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not entirely, but I believe that it is possible that one of Minato's economic rivals could have arranged for the attack."

 **"Minato Namikaze cared not for money. He only saw it as a tool to further the advancement of Atlas."** Ash immediately pointed out.

"We all know that he didn't, but quite a few of the leaders of industry do, especially when it's from military contracts." Ironwood retorted with a head shake. He hated that most of the people in positions of political and economic power were greedy bastards that were constantly in competition with each other. Both the Schnee, and the Namikaze families were always at the top, first place shared between the two because the mutual reliance they had for each other, a symbiotic relationship that even Ironwood didn't know how deep it went. That alliance proved to be a powerhouse throughout generations, those two families were always at the top, they had built Atlas.

 _"And now it seems that someone finally couldn't stand it anymore. But who?"_

 **"So what now, General?"** Ash asked, her mechanical limbs folded on her steel upper torso.

 **"All we know is that a person with a high level of influence, wealth, and connections arranged an invasion that ended the life of our creator, and could also have put a price on young Naruto's head."**

Ash walked forward, the optics of her wedge-shaped head level with Ironwood's eyes.

 **"Is it safe for Naruto to stay in Atlas?"**

The question caught the General off guard, and it showed. James turned to the side, he hadn't considered what Ash brought up. IS-3's next sentence added to how unsure the General was of his ability to keep Naruto safe.

 **"It is logical to assume that both Namikaze were the targets, Naruto is next in line, and already shows signs of being an engineering, and mechanical genius."**

"What do you propose we do then since I have no other plan other than keeping the fact that Naruto's alive secret, and keep him hidden somewhere in Atlas." It had already been agreed on without words that Naruto's status was to be hidden until his safety was guaranteed, or he was strong enough to fend for himself without IS-3's assistance. The captain, the crew on the deck and those that had helped hoist up IS-3 were some of Ironwood's most loyal soldiers, and they had sworn to keep Naruto's survival a secret. Not even the council would be informed so that the obvious leak couldn't tell the person who perpetrated the attack that there was still a loose end that needed attention.

 **"Send him outside of Atlas, to someone you can trust to watch over, and protect him."** Ash suggested. IS-3, unsurprisingly, reacted to the last two words the smaller machine spoke.

 **"Minato Namikaze entrusted me with Naruto's safety. What is needed is a place where no one would expect to find him."** IS-3 interjected. Ironwood made a note that the Titan seemed to respond negatively to it's abilities being questioned, even if it wasn't the intent of the speaker. Still, what the Ogre said made sense. IS-3 was built to dominate the battlefield, and knowing Minato, that Titan was probably equipped to do just that. The General seriously doubted the three massive guns on it's back were just for show. Or that the missile pod was a confetti cannon.

"Ok so you've ruled out every one of my contacts outside of Atlas." Ironwood stated with an annoyed tone. "Who do you recommend?"

The question was supposed to be rhetorical, but of course Ash had an option.

 **"Were you aware of Kushina's half-brother in Vale?"**

"…" Ironwood was silent. He actually wasn't aware of such a person, after his wife died, Minato rarely talked about her.

"Has Naruto ever met this person?" James asked cautiously. Ash nodded slightly.

 **"Whenever Minato went to Vale on business, he and Naruto stayed with her half-brother as a way to keep close to her."** Ash answered, aware of what Ironwood tried to do. The General knew nothing of this new variable, and had tried to eliminate it from the course of options but Ash knew that this was the proper course. Ironwood grimaced, completely uncomfortable with leaving Naruto with someone unknown to the Atlesian General. Yet, there was no other option outside of keeping Naruto locked away in a gilded cage that wasn't guaranteed to be safe.

Ironwood sighed. Winter was going to be pissed.

"Who is this half-brother?" Ironwood at least wanted some knowledge of the man. IS-3 stepped forward, palm held out. A green glow appeared on the Titan's hand as a holographic image of a rather tall man in a white dress shirt with a red tie under a black vest. This man also wore black dress shoes with matching pants, and he had neatly trimmed beard/moustache combination that was black like his hair. The man's gray eyes had a noticeable intelligence, and he wore black biker gloves. Ash began to share the information she knew of this man.

 **"Hei Xiong. Surviving half-brother of Kushina Uzumaki. The two were separated when Kushina's mother fled to Atlas from their father, the notorious boss of Vale's underground until his assassination by a rival gang. After his father's death, Hei decided to live a mostly clean life as an information broker, claimed by many to know everyone in Vale. He owns a club to make ends met while his information business is largely kept as side work when he needs it. He hires those with criminal records that are trying to change themselves for the better but are unable to find work due to their criminal past."**

"I still don't like this." Ironwood stated when Ash finished.

"If this was under any other circumstance, I wouldn't even have listened to this option, but I am not willing to risk Naruto's life just that so I'm comfortable." Ironwood knew that as a former crook, Hei would mostly definitely know how to hide someone. Right now, that was what they needed. Atlas wasn't safe for Naruto to stay anymore. No one could be allowed to know of his survival, or what really happened here. That, and Hei was Naruto's family, and someone Minato obviously trusted, those facts vouched that the man deserved a chance.

"I need to come up with a cover story for the explosion. If the public were to learn that the White Fang were responsible for Minato's death, then all of Atlas would rise against the Faunus species." Ironwood could already see it: Lynch mobs, and anarchy. If that wasn't enough of a shout out for the Grimm to come then the General didn't know what was. Granted, the news of the loss would shock the population, but that would fade as soon as it came. Anger was something that stayed much longer than sadness.

 **"I have a suggestion."** Offered the Titan. Ironwood gave the Ogre his attention.

 **"A simple cover that hides everything while also being believable is to say that the explosion was caused by accident. You were aware but kept secret that Minato had harnessed a new form of energy correct?"**

"Yes, Nuclear energy. He learned of it through one of his forefathers notes. He asked me to not inform the council, it was supposed to be a part of the Titan presentation."

 **"Then it would be rather simple for you to merely say that while working on a way to harness this energy, Minato accidentally caused the explosion that was undoubtedly seen by masses."**

"Though I'll have to refine that the official statement, you've eliminated one problem." Ironwood thanked the Titan. The General's mind was comparable to a warzone with how many thoughts fought for dominance in his head. One that Ironwood chose to focus on was how to get Naruto to Vale. Ironwood left the machines company with a short farewell, the Spectre, and Titan saluted before they found a good spot to power down, and wait for the next day. Ironwood hadn't noticed that he was last organic in the cargo hold, the crew left after IS-3 was brought up. When the General left, he felt the ship land back in the hanger, but instead of getting off, he went to the barracks where the crew slept. James heard light snores from inside various rooms, the crew must've decided to crash on the ship instead of going home. Ironwood planned on doing the same, but first he wanted to check on Naruto one last time.

True to Ironwood's earlier statement, Naruto was not keen on being along, his arms held fast to Winter's body as he slept, nestled in her bosom. Winter herself was asleep, one arm over her charge while the other was placed underneath the pillow in the small room the two occupied. Ironwood had silently cracked the door to peer inside, and was a bit surprised to see them in that position.

 _"What most men would give to be in Naruto's place right now."_ Ironwood shook his head as he silently closed the door, and went to find a room not in use. Once inside of one, he removed his shoes and both coats. Once the article were neatly folded on the ground next to his shoes, Ironwood removed the glove on his right hand, examining the metallic prosthetic for any cosmetic wear before he settled on the thought he held onto earlier.

 _"I can't escort Naruto myself nor use Atlesian warships to transport him to Vale without anyone important looking into it._ " Ironwood hummed in thought as he tried to overcome this obstacle. Sometimes Ironwood wished he had Ozpin's-! Ozpin!

Ironwood couldn't help but smirk as a plan unraveled itself before him.

Since Ironwood couldn't use military resources to send Naruto to Vale then why not have someone from Vale come, and bring Naruto there? Ozpin was someone that Ironwood felt comfortable enough to leave Naruto with for the flight to the other kingdom, and Ozpin would definitely monitor Naruto's mental state as time passed, ensuring that the Namikaze curse didn't affect him too badly, or completely cause him to snap.

 _"Tomorrow I'll call Oz, and explain everything to him to solidify this course of action. Afterwards I'll tell Naruto and Winter. Hopefully Winter won't blow up on me."_ Ironwood knew that while Naruto may be hesitant to leave everything he knew, the young Namikaze would do it for the sake of his family's mission. That did sadden Ironwood given the obsession that every Namikaze had with advancing that mission, but it would work in his favor this time. Winter however, may be more than a bit adverse to trusting Naruto to- to her- an unknown man., but Ironwood knew she would trust his judgment in the end.

 _"I'll have Winter be the one to escort Naruto to Ozpin so they can say their goodbyes. It'll be a long time before they ever talk again."_ Ironwood shook his head to clear that thought from his mind. Now, how to get IS-3, and Ash over there without anyone seeing.

"… Ozpin and I can figure that out tomorrow. I need sleep now." Ironwood declared to no-one as he lifted the covers up, and placed them over himself.

Tomorrow was going to be long.

 **CUT! CHAPTER OVER!**

 **Well, that's that! Now to write the rest!**

 **I hope that you all enjoy this reading this as much as I did writing it! I tried to really establish, and an similar, but alternate history of Remnant where Atlas was advanced by a scientifically-minded Namikaze family that worked closely with the Schnees. I don't want to say much regarding that as it plays a role later on, and as for the Namikaze family themselves, I didn't want them to have no drawbacks to their intelligence so I settled on mental instability, and obsessions over their fields of research. Later on there will be four particular members that will be focused on. That's all on them for now, don't wanna say too much.**

 **Now, let's talk about the Titan. I have already decided on weapons, and IS-3 has access to three cores, but can only use one then has to wait for a cool down to use another. I know that some of you may disagree with Minato not using Dust to power the Titans since this is RWBY that the story takes place in, but I used that to help establish that the Namikazes have explored alternative energy sources, and aren't like the rest of Remnant that believe in fairy tales. Back to IS-3, I will be accepting ideas regarding certain equipment that you think would be needed or desirable on the Titan, and ideas for executions that the Titan can pull off on Grimm or human/Faunus. And as for why IS-3 only has two protocals is because he was made to be Naruto's Titan, and therefore is more like his bodyguard. And yes, IS-3 is named after the Soviet heavy tank, the IS-3. So he has Russian bias. :P**

 **Another topic is Naruto's pilot loadout. He wears the IMC Assault Pilot gear, and I have selected his weapons and other gear that I have limited to being from Titanfall 1 save for the Fire Star. Again, if there is equipment or weapons you want to see Naruto use, feel free to say so in the reviews.**

 **Lastly, I made Naruto related to Junior because I really like the members of the club, and am rather disappointed that they don't have more screen time. Well, it's my fic so I'm building on the underused characters! I also saw that since Junior is an information broker, it's not too much of a stretch to say that he has contacts that'll make it easier for Naruto to get his hands on materials for new equipment or building his own weapons. Junior isn't completely clean, but he's not flat-out evil, he strikes me more as neutral.**

 **Also since Naruto lives at the club this does mean he's with the twins.**

 **Oh, and yes I do know that Ash was originally human, but since it wasn't shown what she looked like as a human, I'm going to have her start out as a Spec** **tre that upgrades itself to have a slightly modified body of the Ash we see in Titanfall 2.**

 **Finally, I know how popular RWBY reading fanfics are so if someone wants to make one for Man and Machine, give me a pm.**

 **Now please remember to review, point out any thing I missed or screwed up, and offer suggestions! You're opinions matter to me.**

 **Later! Greyblueflames burning out!**


	2. Chapter 2 The Beginning PT2

Man and Machine

"Human _speech/thought"_

 **"Robotic speech/ _thought_**

'Audio-log' and 'Notes/books'

 **AN: As promised, the second installment of Man and Machine! Thanks to readers who pointed out flaws, and thanks to everyone that reviewed! Other Titans will be featured but that will be much later in the story.**

 **Remember, I had break up the chapter since it was too long so this is part 2!**

Chapter 2: The Beginning PT2

The next morning General Ironwood assembled a press conference to address the explosion that the masses undoubtedly saw last night. He started off with a sigh and dejected features, a noticeable sorrow in his voice as he delivered the painful news of the death of Minato Namikaze. A collective silence stemmed from the shock overtook the immediate audience while those who watched from elsewhere ceased their actions as they paid attention with grim faces. Every soul in Atlas listened intently as the General explained the circumstances, that Minato had discovered a new source of energy, one that was far superior to dust in every application. Unfortunately, this source of energy seemed to be extremely volatile, and in an attempt to harness the energy, Minato triggered the devastating explosion seen last night. As the silent, shocked crowd listened to the General speak, they learned that because of a harmful radiation that now polluted an area that encompassed a mile radius with the Namikaze home in the center, no one would go to investigate so that more lives would not be lost.

"This… This is a dark day for not just Atlas," Ironwood began to conclude "This is a blow to the march of technological advancement, of which the Namikazes had always led the way. Though this is indeed a sad day, let us not let it halt the march of progress, instead let it motivate our leaders of scientific research and development to strive for even greater feats. That is what both Minato and his son Naruto would want us to do, if not for their sake, then for our own."

The General left the stage, the press half-heartedly called for him for any comments while the citizens left with heavy hearts. The Namikaze family was one of, if not the, most loved family in Atlas by both humans and Faunus, regularly donating to charities for both, and made no effort to hide their mixed heritage. This loss effected everyone in the frozen region, but some had much different reactions, Jacques Schnee was one of those people.

James Ironwood had retreated to the sanctuary of his office in the Atlas Academy after the press conference, a bottle of vintage twenty-year old bourbon joined him as he leaned back in his leather chair, the bottle a third empty. The General had planned on getting drunk today. He lost a brother in all but blood, and had already made the arrangements to smuggle Minato's only son out of Atlas. The only thing James wanted to hear today was the sound of a bottle opening. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

"General! Are you in there?!"

Ironwood stared at the door with a deadpan. _"Fuck you too universe…"_

"Come in…" James said with a sigh as he sat up in his chair for appearances though he kept the bottle out.

The absolute last person Ironwood wanted to see walked in, his blue eyes already in a accusing glare with his large white moustache unable to hide the frown on his lips. The CEO of the Schnee Dust Company was dressed in his usual double-breasted white jacket with a red handkerchief in the right breast pocket, a blue vest and shirt underneath with a gray-white tie, the look finished by white pants and shoes. When the door shut, Jacques immediately began to speak lowly.

"What are you hiding?" Demanded the white-haired man with his palms flat on Ironwood's desk, and his eyes coldly glaring. James stayed silent, unfazed by the other man's question.

"We both know that Minato was too cautious to make a mistake that immense, so what really happened at the factory?"

The General gestured for Jacques to sit as he poured himself a drink in a shot glass that was vigorously downed.

"Jacques just leave it alone." Ironwood simply stated, already pouring another shot.

"It'll be better for everyone if we just leave it at what was said."

The Schnee huffed in annoyance but could already see that it would be useless to pry. There was a more serious matter to discuss anyway.

"So, how do you plan to fill the power gap?" Asked Jacques. Minato had a lot of influence, more so than even the Schnees. His death had resulted in a gap that needed to be filled. James sighed at the question. He didn't want to talk about anything so he slammed a glass in front of the man across from him.

"Either drink or get out. I'll deal with all of this tomorrow. Today, I'm in mourning." Ironwood gave Jacques a decision. With a grunt, the CEO of the SDC reached for the glass.

"To the Namikazes then." Jacques stated before he gulped the shot, the alcohol immediately bit into him. One drink was enough decided the business man as he got out of the seat, and went to the door.

"I'll leave you until tomorrow, so don't get too intoxicated that you can't talk." Jacques advised which Ironwood ignored.

"For some reason my wife seems to be taking this loss hard. Hn, makes sense given that they grew up together." Jacques commented before he left. James scowled at Jacques ignorance.

 _"More like she wanted to marry him instead of an asshole like you."_ Ironwood saw the bedroom eyes that the daughter of Nicholas Schnee gave Minato, and had heard from Minato's own mouth that she had told him "If you ever need a release, give me a call. It doesn't take much to keep the help quiet." A few months after Kushina died, an offer Minato never accepted. As far as Ironwood knew, Minato buried himself in work, and spending time with Naruto after his wife was killed by the Grimm. James shook his head as he brought out another bottle of bourbon, this one aged forty years. Jacques visit left a bad taste in the General's mouth, and brought back a lot of memories. As James drank to mourn the loss of his closest friend, another ally of his was deep in thought across the ocean.

It had been a few hours since Ozpin had been informed of the true events of what occurred in Atlas last night by his close friend James Ironwood, the Headmaster of Beacon Huntsman Academy pondered on what he was told, and the unique opportunity it presented him. The silver-haired professor had met Minato Namikaze on only a few occasions with their last meeting rather poorly. Ozpin knew of the Namikaze family's mission and, unlike the people of Atlas, was well aware of the bloody methods used by the Namikazes of the past, and their history of mental instability. Now, the latest continuation in that line of brilliant yet unstable scientists was not only going to be in his Kingdom, but would eventually attend his school.

Quite the situation, indeed.

On one hand, Ozpin could attempt to influence this child to a proper path, away from his family's ruthless ways of research, and most importantly, prevent the curse of the Namikazes from driving anther soul to madness. To have a Namikaze on his side would be a much welcomed boon in Ozpin's eyes, especially one that didn't kill just to further mankind's scientific advancement in hopes to eradicate the Grimm.

On the other hand, Ozpin had seen first hand the devastation that a Namikaze could cause. In a past life, during the Great War that ravaged Remnant, the semblance of Ares Namikaze had made the war much bloodier then it should have been. The man had taken an unhealthy interest in how war affected the mind, determined to figure out everything he could. His semblance had the unusual and horrific ability to bring out the primal side of any human or Faunus within a wide range. The horrors that Ares had unleashed: villages were burned, men, women, even children ended by the sword. It was never enough for Ares… if a woman was being raped by a man driven insane by his semblance, Ares sat to note the behavior before he moved on, uncaring to what he saw. His reign lasted for the last forty years of the war and both would have continued had not Ozpin in his past life put three bullets in Ares' chest from a safe distance, out of the range of the man's horrific semblance. Ozpin, despite being in a new body, could still feel the effects of when he briefly fell under it's enraging influence, a red lens over his eyes. He remembered the desire to rip into the nearest being, and spill as much blood as possible.

Ozpin gagged in disgust as he remembered being under that horrid man's semblance. Thankfully, Ares was dead. A memory that Ozpin wished wasn't passed down to him, but it served as a warning, showing how bad a Namikaze could get. So in order to save Naruto from his family's curse, Ozpin would dispatch a close ally to escort him overseas, and bring the child to Vale to keep an eye on him. Of course, given that the young child would be under the care of his uncle, certain measures would be taken to monitor him.

The ding of the elevator that led to his office brought Ozpin out of his thoughts, and made the professor swivel his chair to face the person who just entered.

"So Oz," The rugged voice of Qrow Branwen began. "You sure about sending me to pick up that kid?"

"Unfortunately, with Miss Goodwitch on an emergency assignment, and myself unable to leave thanks to my own responsibilities, you are the most… available." Ozpin responded. Qrow sighed as he took a swig from his flask. He had been informed of the truth of the circumstances behind Minato's death by Ozpin over the phone.

"You sure about this Ozpin?" Qrow asked as he put the flask back in his pants pocket.

"This is a Namikaze we're talking about here, and one that is currently going through an emotional hell. There's no telling how many cracks are in his psyche or if he's already snapped."

"Which is why it is imperative that you pick him up and deliver Naruto to his uncle as soon as possible so that the boy can begin to heal in the presence of a loved one." Ozpin reminded the slightly hesitant Qrow. The red-eyed man was rightfully cautious, especially given the family history of the person he was supposed to be bring to Vale. Qrow sighed as he turned around to leave, his parting sentence was blunt to put it lightly.

"Don't be surprised if this kid snaps, and everyone around him winds up dead or dying. This is a dangerous child, murder is in his genes."

Ozpin held in a sigh until Qrow descended down with the elevator car. There was an undeniable truth behind Branwen's words. Aside from a certain two, every known Namikaze had been trained to kill before Minato's time, and even then, those two were not to be trifled with. Ozpin was indeed in a high-risk game that had an equally high reward, one that would give a sorely needed edge against _her._ While Naruto's mental stabilization and safety were indeed the main priorities, he was still a Namikaze, and would truly tip the scales in humanity's favor in the war against the Grimm. The Namikaze family had been waging war in their own admittedly effective, but heartless and unrestrained way. They sacrificed whatever lives they saw as needed for their pursuit, choosing to damn themselves to ensure the survival of humanity through the advancement of technology, and science. A noble goal, but the methods the Namikazes used to achieve it made them worse then the monsters they sought to destroy.

Ozpin hoped that he could save Naruto from that path.

It had been three days since Qrow had departed from Ozpin's office, the black-haired man now stood on the deck of a small freighter-type vessel a few minutes away from a abandoned dock no longer used by Atlas since aircraft now handled their shipping. Qrow rubbed a hand along the stubble on his jawline, his face a tad cold from the freezing wind. Ordinary people wouldn't even go out in this weather, especially if just wearing the black pants, dress shoes, and a long-tailed, gray dress shirt with a tattered red cape that Qrow wore. However, the huntsman wasn't bothered by the temperature, his aura was enough to keep him warm. Qrow did have to admit one aspect of cold weather that he just loved.

 _"Never have to worry about warm booze!"_ Qrow thought as he took a swig from his flask, the cold whiskey inside flowed refreshingly down his throat. As Qrow drank, he saw what was left of the dock. Which was not much. The actual wooden dock was ready to collapse, and the structures weren't even recognizable, pummeled by the elements. Qrow did see the military-purposed All Terrain, half-tracked transport truck parked near the shoreline that had one big-ass steel container next to it.. Qrow narrowed his eyes. Inside that vehicle was the last Namikaze. He put away his flask, and breathed in a few times. Naruto was just a kid, and despite his heritage, Qrow knew that he needed help. Ozpin thought that Naruto was worth it, so Qrow, while maintaining a level of caution, was willing to risk it. Of course, when the doors of the truck opened, and she walked out with the same, deadpanned 'Seriously?' stare that Qrow now had, the huntsman wanted to tell the hired captain to turn the ship around. Qrow sighed internally, let's get this over with.

When the ship ceased movement and the crew tied it to the remainder of the surprisingly stable dock, Qrow leapt off the boat. As he walked briskly towards Winter, the deckhands ran past both of them to the container, rather happy when they saw that the large storage unit was self-propelled, that made their job so much easier. When Qrow reached the eldest daughter of the Schnee, she raised a hand up.

"Please allow me to speak." Requested Winter with an oddly soft, pleading tone, the latter reflected in her icy eyes. Qrow crossed his arms, admittedly curious, but he covered it with a cocky grin. Winter ignored the grin as she began to speak again, the soft tone still there, and she looked down.

"Before Naruto comes out, I need you to understand something." Winter pressed on the drunkard across from her.

"The Namikazes…. I was supposed to be training Naruto on how to be a warrior but, it ended up being that they taught me how a family was truly meant to act. The more time I was around them, the more I saw how distant my own flesh and blood was." Winter looked down at her covered hands as she spoke.

"Minato was the father I always wanted, and Naruto, he is my brother, my true brother." Winter continued before she locked her eyes with Qrow's, stoic expression replaced by one that begged her next request to be granted. Her hands clasped shakily together at her front.

"I need you to promise me… promise me that you won't allow anything to happen to Naruto!" Winter pleaded to her rival, a man she detested, yet now she had to entrust him with her brother, the only person that she considered family.

Qrow sighed. Here was the "Ice Queen", ready to break down out of concern for another person. Damn it, now Qrow felt guilty about what he said about the kid, despite it being correct to certain degrees.

"You have my word that nothing will happen to Naruto." Qrow had a hand on his chest as he spoke. Winter gave a quick thanks before she went to the truck, the door opposite to the side she exited opened, and out came a cloaked figure that stood at 5 foot 4 inches, the person's lower mouth was covered in bandages, eliminating the only part of the grayish cloak's hood didn't cover.

 _"So this Naruto."_ Correctly concluded Qrow when the confirmed mid-teen flipped the hood off, and let his cautious blue eyes be seen. The last Namikaze stayed close to Winter, unsure of the new person across from. Winter stood behind Naruto, her hands rested reassuringly on his shoulders.

"Name's Qrow kid. Since people would ask questions if Ozpin personally came, he sent me instead." Qrow introduced himself in a civil, for him anyway, manner. Naruto slowly nodded, still in a depressed stage. The container was stowed in the boat, ready for transport, a deckhand called for Qrow to come on-board so they could leave. Winter gave Naruto a tight hug in farewell before he left with his escort, and she stayed at the shore until the boat left her vision. It was unknown to her that she was crying until she got back inside the truck, and saw the tear trails on her face in the rear-view mirror.

Once sight of land was lost, Naruto had gone straight down into the cargo hold. The crew happily allowed this since they were a skeleton crew, as long as they got paid, no questions were asked, they didn't even know who Naruto was, or what was in the container. Qrow had followed him down since there was nothing else to do, and you could only stare at the ocean for so long. So Naruto sat with his back against the container that held Ash, and IS-3 for the voyage to Vale, the Spectre offline while the Titan was in a standby-mode. Should anything happen, IS-3 was able to intervene rather easily, and ensure Naruto's safety. The standby setting also kept the soothing neural link between Naruto and the Titan active, which was something Naruto heavily leaned on to help him cope with his loss.

Naruto kept his eyes down on the memory card that held every bit of research that had been done by his forefathers. The mission had passed to him. Eradicate the Grimm, and unite humanity under a single banner. But those would have to wait. Naruto knew that he needed to recover, he had to gain strength, and he had to find the son of a bitch that blew the whistle that told the White Fang where he lived. The Faunus terrorists were only pawns for someone else, and Naruto would find out who. For now though, he had to heal from this. He was in too much pain from his father's death to think properly. He was also tired, but sleep eluded him lately. A development of insomnia? Naruto wasn't sure, it was too early to tell.

"Hey kid." The man assigned to guard him spoke, and broke Naruto's thoughts.

"What's with the chip?"

Naruto lifted up his hood, and looked at Qrow's red eyes. His own blue glaciers instantly recognized what the man was trying to do even in his mentally damaged state. Naruto buried the memory card inside his pocket.

"What's it to you?" Naruto lowly spoke, agitated that this man was trying to get information out of him.

"Unless you're actually concerned about me, don't talk. Let me mourn my father in peace."

Qrow raised a brow. This kid clearly was taught how to read people. Makes sense given that he had probably went to school with the kids of Minato's rivals. Those brats were most likely used to try and get something out of Naruto for their parents to use to try and get a edge against Minato. Qrow shrugged as he took a drink from his flask. That's greed for ya, even your kids become tools.

"Alright then," Qrow said as Naruto put the hood over his head, and his knees were up to his face, arms wrapped around them. Qrow left the wall he previously leaned, and got closer to Naruto. The young Namikaze could tell that the older male sat next to him.

"So how are you holding up?" Genuinely asked Qrow. He had decided to go at this from a different angle. Naruto stayed silent, internally surprised at the difference in the man's demeanor. He actually seemed to give a damn, how'd it change so fast? Qrow kept sipping for his flask as he waited for a response.

"…I haven't slept much these past few days." Naruto finally admitted to his escort, his head slowly lifted.

"Winter says that it's just stress from what happened, but I think that I'm developing insomnia."

Qrow nodded. Sometimes insomnia occurred in people with PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which given what Naruto went through and his family's history of mental disorders, it made sense that it would have a lasting effect. Hopefully it would just be insomnia.

"Speaking of the Ice Queen, I've never seen her act like that with anyone." Qrow commented, actually curious about that. Naruto gained a slight smile.

"It started out that she was just training me, but within a year it was like we were family. She came to us whenever there were problem at home, dad even gave her a room." Naruto told Qrow. The huntsman listen attentively. The more Naruto talked, the more of his psyche was able to be examined for cracks.

"Winter stayed over a lot. Jockstrap is a jackass." Naruto stated, which made Qrow chuckle.

"Jockstrap, huh."

Naruto nodded.

"That was what dad called him."

"Heh, Minato sure was a character." Qrow said as he took another sip. The Branwen thought he made a mistake when Naruto visibly became depressed at the mention of his father's name.

"…He told me about his meetings with you guys." Naruto revealed, and made Qrow stiffen.

"The Maidens, relics, and Salem. My family's known about them for a long time. My great-grandmother was Headmaster of the Atlas academy when they were given the relic Ironwood watches over today." Naruto further told Branwen which only made him more worried. Naruto turned to Qrow with his hood removed, and glacier-blue eyes stared straight into the hunter's own.

"We didn't give a damn about your Maidens, the relics aren't useful save for scientific research, Salem has had my family's attention since she is the leader of the Grimm forces. My family has been targeted by her underlings before, but we've killed whoever tried." Naruto coldly spoke, his Namikaze nature came out.

"I know everything my family's done." Naruto lowered his head.

"Even Ares regretted all the life that was lost because of his research, but he lived with it because he knew in some way, it would benefit humanity. Every Namikaze knew that about their research." Naruto looked back up at Qrow, the twisted belief shone in his eyes. Qrow knew right there that Naruto already had the Namikaze code entrenched inside him.

"But it will end with me." Naruto lowly declared, his words caught Qrow's attention.

"What do you mean?" Qrow asked slowly. Naruto didn't directly answer.

"All the pieces have been given to me from my family, gathered over the generations. It is up to me to use them." With that Naruto moved away from Qrow, and left an intense silence. Qrow quickly stood up, and exited the cargo hold. He went all the way to the deck of the ship, unscrewed the cap of his flask, and chugged down whatever was left. The way that Naruto changed gears like that was all the evidence Branwen needed. Naruto Namikaze needed to kept under extremely close watch.

"That kid…" Qrow said between breaths.

"He's not cracked. He's already shattered."

The three day voyage returning to Vale was uneventful yet tense for Qrow. Every interaction he had with Naruto felt like he was talking to someone else. There was the emotionally-scarred Naruto that was definitely the real Naruto, the one that Qrow talked about Winter with, but that other side, the Namikaze side was always in those eyes, silently observing him for any weakness for future reference, like a predator studying prey. Or rather, a scientist with no morals examining an unknown creature. Qrow was anxious when the ship docked early in the morning, and the container was loaded on a truck. Qrow, and Naruto had both hitched a ride on the truck, the huntsman held on to the underside while Naruto sat on the bed of the wide, heavy duty trailer next to the container. His invisibility semblance prevented him from being seen.

The truck drove down a dirt road for about half an hour before it went off into a back road that led into a clearing where a blacked out Bullhead waited. More hired hands exited the aircraft, and began to attach thick steel lines onto the container while Qrow, and Naruto boarded the craft. As Qrow stood in the bay doors waiting for the crew to finish preparation to airlift the container, he saw a small black object on a branch. Red eyes narrowed as he tried to examine what he saw before it jumped off.

Qrow watched as the Raven flew inland.

"Fuck." He muttered as he took out another flask that had the words 'Drink when dealing with Raven" printed in black on the metal, and began to drink from it. Naruto noticed the subtle change in Qrow, an increase in his awareness, the man clearly was keeping an eye out for something. Soon, the crew finished hooking the cables, and began to get onboard. The Bullhead lifted off the ground, quickly the craft gained altitude as four winches installed quickly reeled the container up to the belly of the craft, a 'clank' signaled the metals meeting. Naruto rested against the rear wall of the craft, near the tail, he still hadn't gotten much sleep yet his mind kept racing.

 _"Maybe if I let the thoughts run without paying attention to them I'll be able to rest."_ Naruto theorized as he closed his eyes. Qrow looked over his shoulder to see the cloaked Namikaze as he tried to fall asleep, a bit of pity felt for the kid. Qrow knew Naruto was broken, but he also knew that with the right help, maybe he could be saved. The issue was that Minato had taught Naruto the Namikaze code from birth, which led to a another obstacle. Naruto had willingly accepted his family's mission, and believed that it had to be accomplished at all costs. Qrow didn't know much about Namikazes aside from their self-proclaimed mission and the effective, bloody methods they used in the past to get closer to that goal.

 _"Granted, ever since the war ended, the Namikazes have been more focused on building up Atlas."_ Qrow thought. Now that he thought about it, the generations after Ares were rather docile, Minato, and his father weren't aggressive at all. Naruto's grandfather was incredibly peaceful, and Minato himself only was hostile when provoked. It was really confusing how this family operated, and how their objectives changed depending on the situation.

 _"I need more booze. Not drunk enough to try to understand a family of crazy geniuses."_ Qrow concluded as the Bullhead gained more speed. The memory card Naruto had became Qrow's focus instead. All the pieces were given to him. Qrow guessed that the memory card must hold the research done over the years by every Namikaze, but that container held Minato's last creation, details as to what it was weren't shared by Jimmy. Of course, seeing as how James was more concerned about ensuring Naruto's safety, Qrow was willing not to hold it against him. Too much.

 _"I'll need to talk with Oz about that card when we get there. For now, I'll just enjoy the scenery."_ Decided the hunter as he drank more, that raven in the back of his mind. He couldn't tell if she was going to do anything, or if she was just watching him, but one for thing was certain…

The last person Naruto needed to meet was Qrow's sister.

The remainder of the flight went without interruption except for a brief stop to refuel, and get some chow. It was later in the night when they finally arrived at Beacon, the castle-like exterior combined with the large central tower impressed Naruto as he looked down on it from the air, though it wasn't nearly as impressive as the architecture back home in Atlas. As the Bullhead landed, Naruto saw a tall man in a open black suit over a vest, green shirt, with dark green pants, and black shoes. The only other distinguishing feature Naruto could make out was the man's silver hair.

 _"That must be Ozpin."_ Naruto guessed from the brief description he remembered his dad giving him. Before the Bullhead landed, it descended close to ground to lower the container onto the ground in the central courtyard of the school before landing, which allowed Naruto, and Qrow to exit the aircraft. The Bullhead rose off the ground again, the craft leaving after the man with the messy silver hair gave them a briefcase that undoubtedly was filled with lien.

Now that Naruto was ground level he could see Ozpin in better detail, brown eyes with black eyebrows contrasted his light-colored hair. There was just one thing Naruto didn't understand.

"Those glasses are too small for them to be of practical use." Naruto stated when Ozpin walked up to him. Ozpin's eyebrow quirked upwards before he responded.

"I just wear them because they enhance the image of me as a headmaster."

Qrow and Naruto deadpanned at Ozpin, the professor ignored their gazes.

"Naruto, I've contacted your uncle." Ozpin told Naruto which caught his attention.

"He'll be here within the hour."

Naruto nodded, his eyes had a glimmer of light in them. Ozpin asked Qrow to follow him a little ways away from Naruto, outside of the part-Faunus' hearing range, but not out of sight.

"So how do you want handle him, Oz?" Qrow asked, his arms folded across his chest. Ozpin sighed. He saw the same cold, calculative eyes hiding behind Naruto's pain, eyes that reminded him of Ares. Ozpin mentally shook his head. Naruto wasn't Ares. He could still be saved.

"What exactly are we dealing with?"

Qrow responded by informing Ozpin of the memory card, and the words Naruto spoke when they were in the cargo hold the first day of the return voyage.

"He said 'All the pieces have been given to me from my family, gathered over the generations. It is up to me to use them'. Any idea what he intends to use them for?" Qrow inquired of Ozpin. They both knew that the card most likely held all of the Namikaze family's immense research records. What they wanted to know was what exactly Naruto planned to do with it. However, Ozpin knew that Naruto couldn't do much on his until he returned to Atlas, so for now, the goal was to help him recover, and hopefully undue the subtle yet tight grip the Namikaze ideals had on the young boy.

"What I do know is that in Vale, Naruto can't do anything, and that our focus should be on his mental health." Ozpin answered Qrow.

"Alright, so how do we proceed?" Qrow asked, a single arm reached for his Raven flask since his other one was empty.

"Also, I saw a Raven when we docked. Think she's curious?"

"If she is," Ozpin began. "Then we need to monitor Naruto constantly, something I've already taken care of visually." Ozpin informed Qrow that when the Headmaster contacted Naruto's uncle, he had sent supplies for Junior to renovate his used storage area into a living space for Naruto, multiple bugs placed in rather uncanny locations. Some were audio, but most were cameras with one that was both in a rather unconventional spot.

Qrow nodded in approval, but pointed out an obvious hole.

"We can assume that Raven's been watching us, so the second we leave him with Junior…" Qrow didn't need to finish his sentence. If Raven found out that a Namikaze still lived, what was to stop her from trying to add him to the tribe?

 _"Now that I think about it. Those two are both fanatical when it comes to what they consider 'family'."_ Qrow realized.

Ozpin tapped the spherical handle of his black cane with a finger. He turned his gaze on the container that Naruto had not strayed from. The cloaked child hadn't moved a foot, it was like the container was…

 _"No, it is a safe zone for him."_

Qrow gave Ozpin an odd look when he saw the corners of Ozpin's lips curl ever so slightly.

"We won't have to worry about it. Minato seemed to already have taken care of it." Ozpin cryptically told Qrow. The red eyed hunter sighed thinking soon he'd need to carry three flasks.

It took another twenty minutes but Hei had finally arrived in a black 18-Wheeler with a trailer hitched on that was the same color. When the truck came to a complete stop, Naruto ran towards it when the driver's side door opened and he saw his uncle jump out. Naruto slammed into Hei, the hood of his cloak fell from the top of head when they collided. Silently, Naruto cried when both he and Hei Xiong, his only remaining relative, tightly embraced.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto… so sorry…" Hei choked out with a pained grimace, accompanied by tears. Naruto began to sob into his uncle's chest, the two continued to hold onto each other. Ozpin, and Qrow said nothing as they stood nearby. Ozpin had been the one to inform Hei of what had occurred, personally going to the club to tell him. Ozpin had seen the burly man's initial disbelief soon turn into a crippling pain as Hei had fallen to his knees. For a man like Xiong, who had been hardened by a criminal upbringing, to react so emotionally was evidence to the close relationship he had with the Namikaze males. It also increased Ozpin's belief in that Xiong was the perfect person for Naruto to be entrusted to.

 _"Their bond will be a crutch for Naruto's mind. Even the workers were in mourning."_

It was true. After Ozpin broke the shattering news to Hei, he had closed his establishment, and after taking a few minutes to gather himself once all the guests left, he told his employees what had occurred. A somber silence followed, the men had taken off their hats, and glasses, condolences given, but also inquiries about Naruto, and what would happen to him. Ozpin took over for the distraught Hei, the man escaped to his private room. It did touch Ozpin how close knit the workers were, and while not the first choice, Ozpin believed that that kind of closeness was what Naruto needed. He needed to be around multiple people that cared about him.

Uncle and nephew parted, but Hei went to wipe away Naruto's tears.

"It's ok now. You're coming with me. My place may not be Atlas-"

"-But it still has Namikaze-brand liquor." Naruto finished with a bit of a crack in his voice, the bandages around his mouth gone. Little known facts about the Namikazes, they were massively into the alcohol industry, every one of them drank, and it seemed they were born with insanely high alcohol tolerances. Naruto had his first Four Horsemen and Hell Follows cocktail at the club when he was twelve, and had adored high-quality bourbon, and whiskey ever since. Everclear was a treat for him, though rarely enjoyed. His dad usually drank all of it before Naruto could get any.

The two chuckled lightly at the inside joke as they straightened up, and turned to the other men, Naruto close to his uncle. Junior gave them a wry smile.

"Thank you for bringing him here. I know it wasn't easy." Hei thanked Qrow, and Ozpin.

"It was the right thing to do, Mr. Xiong." Ozpin replied, Hei nodded as he protectively put an arm around Naruto. They needed to get him to the club, it was late, and Hei wanted Naruto safe as soon as possible.

"Alright, let's get whatever's in the container in to the truck." Hei advised since the container itself was bigger than the trailer Hei brought. Qrow nodded in agreement, he'd been wondering what the hell was in there. Ozpin only knew what Ironwood told him, that it was Minato's last creation, and the first of Humanity's guardians. Time to see what this guardian looked like.

Naruto knew that there was no way for the men get IS-3 inside the trailed. The damn Titan weighed 60 tons!

 _"And of course I stowed my helmet in the container so I can't just tell IS-3 to get out of standby, and come out."_ Naruto lamented internally. At the time, Naruto didn't want to worry about anything being lost so he just put everything In his duffel bag then put that in the container near Ash. What Naruto had not realized, was how connected he, and IS-3 actually were because of the link. He might not be able to mentally command the Titan, but IS-3 sure could tell if he was wanted or needed!

The four males stopped walking when they saw the large, metal container shift around.

"Hey kid…. What's in there?" Qrow asked as they all stared. The side of the container facing them was breached as the armored hand of IS-3 broke through, the other made that hole larger. The backs of the metallic hands both pushed to the sides, and tore a hole large enough for the broad-shouldered Ogre to exit out of. Once out of the container, IS-3 wirelessly activated Ash, the Spectre stood up, and exited with Naruto's duffel bag. The three men with Naruto stood in shock at the size of IS-3, and how advanced it looked. Decades ahead of anything else in Atlas. The massive machine walked towards the four, it's heavy footfalls shook the ground, thankfully not cracking it.

"You have got to be shitting me…" Qrow said when the Titan stopped in front of them.

 **"I am a machine. It is impossible for me to be 'Shitting you' as I am not an organic."** Corrected IS-3, unknowing to that it was an expression. The Titan shifted attention to his pilot.

 **"Naruto, it is good to see you again.** " IS-3 greeted his pilot, then turned to Hei.

 **"Greetings Hei Xiong. My designation is IS-3, Ogre-Class Heavy Titan."**

Hei nodded slowly, still in a bit of shock.

"Call me Junior." He told the mech then asked "How much do you weigh?"

 **"Sixty tons, or 120,000 pounds."** Answered the Titan.

Junior nodded with a wince. Damn, that's 40,000 thousands pounds more than the truck was rated to haul. He'd have to go a bit slower going home than he did coming here so he wouldn't put too much stress on the engine.

 **"Is that a problem?"** Came the feminine voice of Ash, the Spectre was now noticed by everyone.

Junior shook his head.

"I'll just have to take it easy on the truck going home. Now, who are you?"

 **"Designation: Ash. I am the finished version of a new mechanized infantry called Spectres."** Ash answered, and gave Naruto his duffel bag.

 **"I shall serve as an additional companion for Naruto."**

Naruto gave a small smile while his uncle nodded, and told the machines to get in the trailer.

Qrow discreetly looked at Ozpin. He didn't like this. The huntsman watched as the Titan turned to it's right as it listened to Junior's request, the three massive guns that were hooked on the back came into view. Qrow couldn't tell the caliber, he just knew that Aura meant nothing against those guns. That was also if the robot didn't decide to just punch, or step on someone. The armor that thing boasted was thick as hell, only explosives would work against it.

 _"And it's in the hands of a potentially unstable Namikaze."_ Qrow grimaced internally. This wasn't good but, Qrow couldn't do anything. Right now, he had to let things flow until something happened, and pray that nothing did.

The Headmaster and Huntsman stood silently as Naruto and his uncle got inside the cab of the 18-wheeler, Junior gave one last "Thank you" before droving off.

"And now begins the hard part." Ozpin announced as he watched the truck retreat into the darkness. Both men saw a raven fly after the truck.

"I recommend you follow her."

Before Ozpin finished his statement, Qrow had already begun to sprint before he leapt, and activated a unique ability of his. Ozpin now watched a crow chase down both the truck and raven. Ozpin stayed until all three left his sight. The Headmaster turned to the empty academy, the students gone for the summer until next year. Within two years, Naruto Namikaze would be attending this academy for about a year, or if Naruto showed a sufficient level of combat ability then Ironwood would allow Naruto to return to Atlas, and for his survival to be revealed to the populace. Ozpin knew that it would not take a year. Naruto was a Namikaze, and he was undoubtedly motivated by his father's death. The question was motivated to do what. Qrow had told Ozpin when Naruto stated that "It ends with him."

Did Naruto intend to accomplish the Namikaze mission? Ozpin mulled over everything Qrow had told him but also the amount of advancement Atlas had made technologically. All the pieces had been give to Naruto over the generations. The Namikazes not only wanted to make the Grimm extinct but for humanity to be united. When Mantle had waged war, the Namikazes had only helped on a whim, they were not involved with starting it, nor did they want it but they saw an opportunity to unite humanity forcibly. Ares was their primary hand, and very influential, but it was the daughter of his brother that had been involved with leading, her name was Solis Namikaze, a woman of still unparalleled combat skill, the mother of weaponry, and modern combat itself. When Ares was killed, and the war ended, Solis, and her child were the only remaining Namikazes.

"Perhaps the history of Solis will provide the answer." Ozpin had some research to do.

The drive to Junior's club, simply known as The Club, was uneventful, Junior informed Naruto where he would be staying.

"My basement is more like a bunker, got plenty of rooms that you can use for whatever, and I set aside one for you to use as a shop." Junior told his nephew, the mid-teen paid attention, and nodded. He smiled when he learned that he'd have a place to manufacture gadgets, machinery, and weapons. He enjoyed working with his hands.

"Thanks uncle Hei." Naruto silently said. Junior wrapped an arm around Naruto, and squeezed his shoulder.

"It'll be ok, I'll help you through this, me and the guys." Junior assured.

"You still have people you can call family."

Naruto leaned his himself on his uncle. So tired. He was so tired. Junior kept driving as Naruto dozed off, the trip would take a little more than an hour due to IS-3's excessive weight. The club owner turned on the radio, and went to a station that played soft music at a low volume, just high enough so he wasn't in total silence. Unknown to Junior were the two birds that followed overhead.

When the two arrived, the birds landed on the edge of The Club's roof while Junior backed into an alley on the right side where his building had a bay door for deliveries that were too big to go through the front. IS-3 fell under that category, big time. After gently rousing Naruto, the pair exited the truck, and went to the back of the trailer where Junior opened it for Ash, and IS-3.

"I'm still surprised that your Titan fit in there." Junior commented as said Titan shimmied out awkwardly.

 **"It was not comfortable."** Responded IS-3 when he got out, Ash followed, and shut the trailer. Next, Junior open up the bay door, the Titan pleased that his chassis would fit without trouble. Once inside, IS-3 closed the bay, unintentionally cutting off the birds' view.

Speaking of those birds, both immediately turned to each other. They stared for a few long minutes until both flew upwards. Before the crow landed, it transformed back into Qrow while the Raven landed in the darkness, it's true form obscured.

"The hell are you doing here Raven?" Qrow demanded. She was the last person that should know Naruto was alive!

"I was originally planned on seeing what you were up to, but now that I've seen him, I think I'm going to monitor, and see how this plays out." A rough and feminine voice answered. Qrow could hear the smirk at her next words.

"Should he show talent, I may recruit him to the tribe."

"Yeah? Tell me how you're going to get buy his bodyguard." Qrow shot back.

"…"

"Just back off Raven." Qrow warned.

"We both know how dangerous a Namikaze is."

Raven answered this time.

"I know. My style was invented by Solis Namikaze after all." Qrow heard a soft chuckle.

"This is going to be interesting brother. I can't wait for the new side to join the game between Ozpin, and Salem." With that, Qrow saw a raven leave the shadows.

"Fuck!" Qrow spat. He went to find a hotel close to Junior's club, Ozpin needed to know what Raven said.

-With Naruto-

True to his uncle's word, Naruto found that the basement was like a multi-room bunker. Junior led Naruto to the first room on the left after they went down a lift that was thankfully big enough for IS-3. The doors were large, wide bay doors, and the inside of where Naruto would stay was a decently-sized living space. A bed, drafting table, and a regular door that Naruto would discover led into a full bathroom with shower were included.

"Thanks uncle." Naruto looked at Hei.

"It's the least I could do." Hei stood inside the open door as Naruto placed his bag near the bed that had a thick blanket, and two pillows on it.

"Tomorrow we'll begin customizing it to fit you, but for now, get some sleep. I'll wake you for breakfast."

Naruto slowly nodded. His Titan, and Ash were given the room next to his, just in case something happened.

"Goodnight. Love you." Naruto told Hei, who softly smiled.

"Love you too, bud. You know where my room is if you need anything." With that Hei shut off the light, and shut Naruto's door. Naruto's shoulders slumped, and his mood returned to gloomy as he removed his clothes, leaving his body bare before he reached into his bag, and pulled out a pair of blue basketball shorts. Naruto had the habit of sleeping without underwear, and only wearing shorts to preserve modesty. When Naruto laid down, the feelings immediately started up again.

Naruto was filled with negativity. Anger at the White Fang for taking almost everything away from him, sadness from being forced to abandon his father, and anxiety about how he was going to finish his family's mission. He had no connections, no resources, no equipment. Even IS-3 was under equipped.

 _"Stop Naruto. You can't worry about this right now."_ The blond told himself.

 _"Really?! Why the hell not?!"_ The insanity within himself shot back.

 _"You have a fucking mobile fortress! Make those bastards that dare claim to be freedom fighters suffer for their betrayal! OUR FAMILY HAS DONE MORE FOR THEIR WORTHLESS HIDES THAN ANYONE! WE ARE PART FAUNUS OURSELVES DAMN IT!"_

Naruto clutched his head. Stop… just stop…

"Let me sleep…" Naruto could feel tears on his cheeks.

"I just… I just want to sleep."

Naruto knew however that as long as the voice- his distress mentally manifested- raged that rest was impossible. Unless…

Naruto quickly removed the blanket, turned on the light, and went to the drafting table. He was pleased to find it fully stocked, and to see a chair nearby. He then took a blank piece of drafting paper, a T-square, a pencil, and then set to work.

He would pour everything he was feeling, the anger, rage- all of it- into this design. When he built it, it would become the form of Naruto's wrath.

Maybe then he would finally be able to rest.

 **CUT! CHAPTER OVER!**

 **Whoo-hoo! Damn you guys like this story! Nearly 300 follows, just over 200 favorites, and 44 reviews with one chapter?! This nobody author hit the jackpot! Also, this took a while because Lq840i( Who also helps edit, and plan much of this story) got me into Fate/Grand Order for mobile, so yell at him not me!**

 **The Namikaze family tree becomes slowly more fleshed out with the mentions of Ares, and Solis Namikaze, two of those three that I said I would focus on primarily. Qrow is cautious which is never good, especially since Raven's shown interest. Ozpin wonders while Naruto struggles to find himself.**

 **Next chapter, Naruto begins to find his path while Junior tries to keep him safe. A new influence makes contact, and IS-3 lays down the law! Next time, on Man and Machine!**

 **Please remember to follow, and favorite. Please review, your opinions matter to me!**

 **Later! Greyblueflames burning out!**


	3. Ch3 Building Up

Man and Machine

Human speech/ _thoughts_

 **Robot speech/ _thoughts_**

'Audio log' and 'Notes/books'

 **AN: With the release of this chapter the poll is over, the winner being Raven Branwen, and with that decision made, Naruto will walk in the moral gray zone. Enough with that, onto to chapter!**

 **Chapter start!**

Chapter 3: Building Up

Naruto was awakened when his uncle Hei gently shook his shoulders, the bearded man's head shook in slight amusement. He wasn't really surprised to find Naruto asleep at the drafting table, he figured that Naruto would work himself to sleep. As the blond teen rubbed his eyes, Junior glanced at the designs Naruto made the night prior.

"Well these look like they could kick some ass." Junior commented, and drew Naruto's delayed attention.

"Oh… Thanks…" Yawned the young genius, obviously still mostly asleep. The older male placed a folded pair of gray sweatpants, underwear, and a dark blue shirt on top of the drawn plans. Junior wore a similar outfit, except his shirt was white, and the sweatpants were black.

"Change into those. Breakfast is almost ready." Hei instructed Naruto, who sleepily nodded as his uncle exited the room. When the door shut, Naruto slowly began to change into the casual clothes his uncle laid out for him. When finished, Naruto gazed down at the blueprints below with pride, and a bit of disappointment that he couldn't actually build it.

 _"The AiRazor Smart-Drone would be a terror for_ _ground forces."_ Last night, Naruto poured his anger into designing the drone, and was pleased with what he come up with, but again, with no resources to produce it, Naruto couldn't help but feel a tad down. If he had access to the materials and equipment then Junior would've walked onto Naruto constructing the drone he designed.

 _"Can't worry about that now."_ Naruto decided as he put the shirt on, and exited his room. At first, Naruto started down the right of the hallway, to where the stairs and lift that exited the bunker-like basement of Junior's club but, he changed direction to the left, specifically, he went to the bay next to his dwelling. Before Naruto could knock, the bay door was lifted by Ash, the Spectre's optics glowed blue when they focused on her creator's offspring.

 **"It is good to see you awake, Naruto."** Ash greeted. Naruto nodded in return.

"Good morning."

Ash turned to the side as Naruto walked in, and examined the large but empty space Ash shared with Naruto's guardian/partner, IS-3.

 **"Pilot, how are you feeling?"** Inquired the Titan, it's large form drew closer to Naruto, the massive footfalls shook the ground.

"I still can't fall asleep easily, but aside from that, I guess I'm fine." Naruto looked up at his Titan as he spoke. The Titan, and Spectre paid rapt attention, both aware how important sleep was for the human body and mind.

"It may go away with time. Anyways, I just wanted to say hi." Naruto received a nod from Ash in return while IS-3 searched for ways to help humans fall asleep on the internet, wirelessly linking himself to the web. After he exited the machines' 'Room' Naruto proceeded down the right of the hallway, he choose to take the stairs instead of the lift to exit the bunker.

The two-story building where Hei Xiong run his club was also his home, multiple rooms set in an apartment style were available for employees to use if they needed it were on the first floor behind the actual club with the second story being Junior's private suite. He had a spacious bedroom with a master bathroom, a large kitchen openly connected to a good-sized dining area, and a recreation room. Naruto found his uncle in the kitchen, the smell of bacon, eggs, and frying potatoes filled the room. Junior already had made Naruto's plate, two over-medium eggs with seven thick strips of bacon, and two potato pancakes steamed lightly on the dinner plate with a big cup of what looked like sweet tea, and ice inside.

"Figured you like something homemade." Junior stated while he made his own plate. Naruto nodded in thanks before he began to eat, the eggs gone first. Junior sat down as Naruto stopped to take a drink of what was in the glass next to his plate. There was a pause before be swallowed with a more relaxed expression.

"Texas Sweet Tea?" Naruto asked with a bit of uncertainty.

"Eight ounces of lemonade, two-and-half ounces of Firefly Sweet Tea vodka, an ounce of regular vodka, another ounce of amaretto, and some ice." Junior confirmed with a grin as he brought a strip of bacon to his mouth.

"It's on the guest favorites list."

Naruto nodded his approval as he now took a gulp of the alcoholic beverage. The two ate in a comfortable silence until Junior broke it after finishing his meal first, Naruto fed himself much slower. Junior frowned internally when he saw that, but he understood why. Minato was a good man, and a great father.

" _And I need to be the best uncle I can. For Naruto's sake."_

"After you're done eating, let's go online, and look for some clothes for you. Doubt you'll want to wear those everyday." Suggested Junior, before he added.

"Some of the guys left early to get some stuff that I think you'll like."

Naruto raised a curious brow at his uncle's tone.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Nothing special." Junior said off-handedly.

"Just some tools, someone said they're buying welding equipment, and a few are getting stuff for a forge."

Naruto stopped eating as his eyes turned misty. He looked at Hei with unshed tears when he felt the older man's arm on his shoulder.

"You know those guys care about you. You're not alone." Naruto let a single tear fall when Hei removed his hand. He wiped his eyes, and resumed his meal, though he ate a bit faster. A few hours later, some of Junior's employees began to arrive, condolences given, and Naruto received the 'gifts' they bought for him. Included were books on how to weld, forge and shape metal along with numerous tools. In addition, Naruto also received a sizeable amount of raw materials, and Junior told Naruto that they would be converting a room into a forge he could use. Naruto was used to laser-cut parts so forging his own materials would be a new skill to learn.

"You can't keep a Namikaze from building, that's worse than death for them." Junior had stated after he gave Naruto a hearty slap on the back, the small group shared a laugh together before they separated to begin prep for tonight's guests. It was Friday, so they usually touched up the place a bit. That included bringing Naruto's welcome gifts to his room.

The past month had been rather progressive in Naruto's opinion. The forge that he was promised had been built in the bay across from the one that was his personal living space, and he had begun to teach himself the ways of blacksmithing, his first creations being crude knives that easily broke. One even shattered when he tried to quench it. Despite the failure, Naruto kept at it, and was quickly starting to get the basics down, but he still had a long way to go before he could even attempt to forge guns for himself, and IS-3, his main reason for bothering to learn that trade at all.

Speaking of IS-3, thanks to his uncle's connections, Naruto was able to his hands on some very advanced computers that he repurposed for checking his Titan's diagnostics as well as Ash's. Another computer was for Naruto's personal use, one that he had made to be untraceable since he found a new hobby in hacking into Vale's government, and military databases for any news about new technologies. Nothing really caught his interest, the march of progress had slowed quite noticeably following his father's death.

Another way Naruto had busied himself was by training with IS-3, actually learning how to pilot the Titan, something that was rather easy after the simulations. Naruto still had to admit that the real thing was much better. Ash had also taken the initiative to resume Naruto's training, the Spectre had requested that foam mats be bought so that Naruto had a soft landing when he hit the ground during their spars. Naruto commented that he would modify Ash's chassis so that she could move more fluidly when he was experienced enough with metal-working to do so. The wiring, and software part was easy, but creating a more human-like body was definitely the hard part.

Currently, Naruto was reading the notes of one of his ancestors, Stein Namikaze, who had pioneered medicine, the standards of modern times set by him. In addition to studying how to save human lives, he had strived to figure out to improve the human body. Unknown to the world was that Stein used both humans and Faunus in his endeavors. In fact, the reason why he knew so much about the body was because of those experiments, and the bodies he carved open. Yet, through his actions, many more lives were saved by what he had discovered. Stein had also discovered that there was no difference between human and Faunus but didn't bother to publish it because he knew that the stigma in his day would've caused those in charge to bury it. At least his fox Faunus wife showed her appreciation for it.

Naruto however, wasn't interested in the vast medical knowledge of his forefather right now, it was one of his body-enhancing experiments that held Naruto's gaze. Naruto read slowly with building interest as Stein's notes described a formula that would give a person a massive boost in physical ability. Unfortunately, while the ingredients, and procedure were written down, Stein was never able to test it. Naruto had read in the notes of one of Stein's sons that he had been killed before he could, which struck Naruto as odd. Stein was one of the few people in his time that had his aura unlocked AND he had discovered his semblance which had helped with his research. Stein could create scalpels of aura that didn't need to pierce the skin to cut, rather they cut underneath the skin. Naruto also recalled that Stein had created a combat-style that focused on his scalpels, and had used it quite a bit to cover up his activities in case he was ever suspected which was a rare occurrence.

"Can't let that distract me. Now, where is… ah! Found it." Naruto was looking for the effects the formula was supposed to have in his ancestors notes. It read that the serum was supposed 'To stimulate muscle growth, and trigger the body to start increasing it's rate of physical development. At first, the effects will appear minor, but that is due to the serum being designed to accelerate the body's natural growth rate. If combined with exercise, and a healthy, active lifestyle, or military- style training, the subject can expect to be much stronger, faster, and possess sharper senses than their peers. I dare say that this serum could turn a wimp into a super-solider within a year or two.'

The notes pretty much ended there save for a few other theories that were unrelated to the formula. There were only a few things Naruto didn't like about it, it was untested, the ingredients would be a pain to gather, Naruto didn't have the equipment to develop the serum, and that it had to be injected into his body. Two needles stuck into deep muscle centers in the neck, and a single needle that would go into the center of the spinal column, the latter made Naruto cringe. A needle… in the spine.

 _"….I can feel my body squirming."_

Thankfully, a knock on the bay door drew Naruto's attention. He closed the book, and told whoever was on the other side to come in. The door opened to reveal Junior in his usual black vest, pants, and biker gloves with a red tie and white shirt.

"Hey, you got a minute? We got new employees."

Naruto nodded as he got up, and went to find the roll of medical bandages he kept in his room. While he did trust the employees of the club, Naruto thought it best to hide his whiskers in case new people were hired. The last Namikaze had garnered much media attention for his mechanical and technological genius when he was young, and his face had been shown numerous times on the television. Given that his 'death' was relatively recent, hiding Naruto's whiskered face was a good idea. The blond found the roll on the wooden desk that housed his personal computer. Naruto begun to unravel the bandages, wrapping his lower face up the bridge of his nose.

After he made sure that the make-shift mask wouldn't come undone, Naruto left his room, and followed his uncle out of the basement to the ground level of Junior's club. The interior of the dance club was primarily black accented with red, but the strobing lights often switched the color to white before alternating between the three colors. There were four columns of glass on the edges of the square-shaped dancefloor that was divided into smaller squares that flashed red, black or white. There were multiple tables that had cushioned booths around them, and near the back of the club was the bar that had tall shelves filled with different liquors. There was also an interior boardwalk that wrapped around three sides of the club barring the side above the bar.

"So where's the new employees?" Naruto asked his uncle.

"Over there," Junior pointed to a table on the other side away from the bar. Naruto saw two females of similar height seated at a table. Once more, Naruto followed his uncle as Hei led Naruto to where the girls were.

"They're our new bouncers. Said they have some hunter training, but decided they'd rather work privately." Junior explained to his nephew, who now stood at his side. The blond nodded as they drew close, the girls stood up when they recognized their new boss walking towards them with a person wearing bandages around his mouth. The girls bowed their heads when Junior stopped a few feet in front of them, Naruto stopped about the same distance. Naruto noticed that the two were obviously twins, given that they had exactly the same physical appearances. Both possessed rather captivating pale green eyes, had creamy, pale skin, soft facial features that were in stoic expressions, and had black hair that they wore down. They were very easy on the eyes in Naruto's opinion. They were also around his age, about a year older. They were also shorter than him by a few inches.

"Alright, Naruto this is Melanie." Junior introduced the one on the left to Naruto first.

Melanie wore a short, white strapless dress that had a bow between her moderately sized bust, the dress also had cyan lining that went with her eyes that also had heavy cyan makeup that flared to the sides. Above her left ear was large hairpin shaped as a white flower, and there was also a tri-layered pad on her left shoulder. She wore a metal belt that had a oval stone of a mineral that Naruto recognized as malachite with two chains that loosely hung below it around her waist. She had two white gloves that stopped a third away from the elbow with a bracer on her left wrist. Naruto also noticed cyan wings attached lower on her dress, and her outfit was finished by upper thigh-length boots with red laces that went down her legs until they ended on top of tri-layered pads that were placed diagonally between the top of the feet, and the lower part of her shins. Naruto couldn't see it but her stiletto heels were bladed on the back. Melanie gave Naruto a nod in greeting which he returned.

"And this is Miltiades." Junior now pointed to the one the right.

Unlike her sister, Miltiades wore a red dress with black lining that was the same type as her sisters that also seemed to have faded newspaper headlines, quite interesting, and unique. Above her left ear were large white-and-red feathers, and she had black fur that hanged off her shoulders connected by a dark gray chocker with two chains below, similar to her twin sister's belt. Around her waist was a black bow that faced to the left. She wore the same boots as Melanie but the primary color was red with white laces. She also had gloves, and Naruto saw that she had dual-bladed gauntlets. Finally, she had heavy red eyeshadow in the same style as her sister, the color clashed nicely with her pale green orbs. Her hair was shoulder-length, which differed from her sister's mid-back length hair.

"It's nice to meet you, please call me Miltia." The red twin spoke softly with a slightly lowered head, yet she kept eye contact with Naruto. She seemed a bit shy, or was just the type that didn't talk much.

"Nice to meet you too." Naruto said in reply.

"These are the Malachite twins." Junior told Naruto their last name, fitting given their eye color that resembled the ore rather strongly. He then indicated to Naruto.

"This is my nephew, Naruto Xiong. I'm taking care of him." Junior spoke with a tone that was a bit sad, and Naruto's eyes dimmed. The twins could tell that something must've happened to Naruto's parents recently.

"We're sorry for your loss." They spoke in perfect synchronization. Naruto immediately recovered, as did Junior.

"Anyway, I wanted to introduce you three to each other because Naruto doesn't come out during business hours, and you'll primarily see him if you go down to the basement incase I need you to get something from down there." Junior explained to his new employees, they both nodded in perfect synchronicity.

"Unlike you two, who'll live in the employee apartments" Naruto spoke up, shifting their attention to him.

"I live in the basement since it's close to my forge, and the utilities of which maintenance of is my responsibility." Naruto finished. The twins lifted a brow at the same time which made Naruto groan internally. Great they must think he's some sort of grease monkey. Didn't help that he was in sweat pants, and a t-shirt, his casual clothes.

 _"If only they knew who I really was."_

"Now that that's done, let me show you girls to your room." Junior announced with a clap of his hands before he turned around, the three followed him.

"Naruto, I need you to check on the heating system." Junior looked back at his nephew, who nodded.

"A few of the boys think something's up with it, and I'd rather you look at it before something bad happens.

"Yeah, I'll do it when I get back down, was just doing some reading." Naruto replied. He saw the twins give a curious glance, but they remained silent. The last Namikaze figured that sooner or later he'd talk to them more. When their paths separated at the stairs, Naruto gave a friendly wave before he descended, the twins both nodded simultaneously before they ascended with Junior.

"He seems interesting." Miltia lowly said next to her sister as they walked up the stairs behind Junior.

"A bit low for our standards." Melanie stated before she gave another comment .

"He does have nice eyes though, they look like they were carved from glaciers." Miltia nodded at her sister's observation as Junior opened the door to the floor that housed his employees, neither noticed the light smile he had.

 _"Don't know why, but I got a feeling that Naruto will get along with these girls."_

Over the following month, Junior's hunch started to be confirmed as the twins began to grow curious of Naruto. From a distance they observed that he was very intelligent, often reading high-level textbooks in the mechanical, engineering, and advanced robotics fields with easy comprehension. They also saw that he possessed an unnatural charisma that drew people to him, mainly their fellow co-workers but the twins were sure it would work on most people. Currently, Junior watched as he momentarily paused from cleaning dirty shot glasses from behind the bar counter as the twins approached Naruto during closed hours, the only time Naruto was safely able to be in the actual club. Hei was glad when he saw the three begin to converse, he believed that it would be good for Naruto to have associates his age. It also helped that they didn't know who Naruto actually was.

Junior knew that Naruto would guard his true identity, but having conversions with people that didn't know his circumstances could help improve Naruto's mental stability. Hei had noticed that while Naruto was grateful for the other employees' concern, his nephew would rather them not worry about it. Naruto was the type of person that used his work to deal with internal issues, but whenever he talked to a club employee that knew his identity, Naruto saw the pity in their eyes, and was reminded of what he lost. It made Naruto remember the feelings, and took away from his progress. It didn't help that Ash confirmed that Naruto had insomnia, which made him lay awake at night, his mind racing, and that voice demanding vengeance. Naruto didn't hate the White Fang as a whole entity, he knew that they were tipped off, but there were loathing emotions he felt for them.

Speaking of Naruto's feelings on people, the headmaster and his drunk pal practically destroyed any chance of Naruto trusting them when IS-3 scanned Naruto's room, and detected multiple listening, and surveillance devices. One was a listening device inside of his pillow, they had bugged a scroll that was given to him, and he had dismantled the TV inside his room to find eight different bug in just the screen. On total, Junior mailed around 49 different bugs to Ozpin's office that included a particularly nasty letter typed by Naruto detailing his feelings towards a bug that was found in the toilet along with sticky note on the bag that had "Screw you!" written on it.

Qrow was shocked when Ozpin's jaw dropped as he read the letter when they received the bag of surveillance devices. They hadn't found out much even with how many they had placed, just that Naruto had designed some kind of drone he called "AiRazor", and that he wanted equipment to manufacture his own ammunition, and ammo for his Titan. Fortunately, Ozpin prepared in case this happened, and had put bugs in place that were inside the walls that were made from steel, and cement thus blocking any type of scan from detecting them, however all of the bugs in the bathroom had been discovered.

Another month went by, and Naruto saw much progress. His forging ability had finally risen to the point where he was decent at crafting pistols, specifically revolvers. Junior had also managed to procure the proper equipment that enabled Naruto to make his own ammo. Naruto would have to improve his skill further before he could produce shells the caliber of IS-3's weapons. With his new crafting skill, Naruto designed, and built a double-action, six-shot revolver that he called the B3 Wingman. It was made to be accurate with a high stopping power, but the trade off was a low rate of fire, something that Naruto soon solved when he created another smaller, but quicker firing machine-pistol christened the RE-45. The 45 in the name came from the twenty .45 caliber rounds that it fired automatically. Both performed excellently, Naruto soon discovered that if used with one in each hand, the two guns covered each others weaknesses.

Naruto further modified the RE-45 with a suppressor, and an under-barrel laser-mount that he modified his helmet to track. To increase the Wingman's already superb range, Naruto added a Red-dot sight, satisfied with the work of his hands. Of course, to balance the progress, something potentially disastrous had to happen, though that was Naruto's opinion about what happened. Junior saw it as a great thing.

The twins' curiosity about Naruto had kept growing until finally they decided to see him in private. However, this visit occurred at the worst possible time, during Naruto's pilot-training when he was inside of IS-3's dome-like cockpit. When Melanie and Miltia lifted up the bay door on the left of Naruto's room, Miltia almost fell over from shock but her white-themed twin instinctively moved to hold her up. They had stared at the massive mech that also stared back at them, a smaller machine that went unnoticed by the girls shook it's head. When the hatch opened, Naruto leapt out with his armor on, but his helmet was removed when he landed, and he didn't have bandages hiding his lower face. That allowed the girls were able to see his face without obstruction, and once they did, Naruto immediately saw the amazed looks of recognition.

When Naruto texted his uncle to come down to help explain everything, Junior giggled a little. He had predicted something like this would happen, and had looked forward to it. While Naruto was friendly with the twins, Junior knew that his nephew couldn't properly bond with them as long as he withheld his secret. Sooner or later the Malachite twins would find out, be it from himself, Naruto, or a third party. It was better that they heard it from Naruto's own mouth. That led to the current situation.

When Junior walked inside the open bay, he could feel an uncomfortable tension. Naruto stood close to his Titan while the twins stood around several feet away from them. Miltia looked downwards to the side, her arm held onto the other while Melanie just stared at Naruto with confusion. Junior sighed internally as he walked over to where his nephew stoically stood, no doubt his mind going through multiple scenarios. Hei stood at Naruto's side, the Malachite twins both looked at him before back to Naruto, his stoic gaze did nothing but bring them more unease. Junior decided to open the conversation, but Naruto spoke before his uncle could open his mouth.

"Before anything else is said, I am Naruto Namikaze, the supposedly 'dead' son of the recently deceased Minato Namikaze." Naruto told the twins across from him, their mouths opened a bit from shock, but more from the bluntness of the way Naruto admitted it. The blond across from them blinked before he turned to his uncle.

"Was that too blunt?" Asked the blond. Now the twins blinked. Junior gave a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry about that," Junior apologized for the brash delivery of his nephew's opening statement.

"He's never had to introduce himself before, everyone's always known his name beforehand." Junior explained, a hand on the back of his head. Coming from the Namikaze line, if somebody DIDN'T know Naruto's name, that person was considered uninformed in other continents while in Atlas it was an unofficial crime, if not an insult to the northern kingdom's culture, and history. Naruto massaged his forehead with his hand.

"Look, what we're going to tell you is important so please listen, and then ask questions. My life is on the line, and now by proxy, so are yours." Naruto stated, his last sentence quickly garnered Melanie and Miltia's attention.

"I'm going to give it to you straight. The night my dad died wasn't because of an accident, the White Fang were told where we lived, and were bribed to either kidnap or kill us." Naruto paused to clear his throat, it still hurt him to think about it. Now he had to talk about it, even if it was just a summary. Naruto felt his uncle's hand on his shoulder, and IS-3's presence soothed his emotions. The twins saw his eyes turn slightly misty when he continued to speak, the moistness built as he spoke.

"My father refused to let our family's research fall into their hands so after he ensured my survival, he caused the destruction of a nuclear reactor that was the source of the explosion seen." Naruto stopped again, and gave his back to the twins. The last words of his father played in his head.

 _"You'll always have me with you, just look into my notes, and you'll feel me there."_

 _"Damn it…"_ Naruto internally cursed as he quickly recomposed himself, the tears that threatened to fall were wiped away with his arm. When he turned back around, he continued, the worried gazes of the twins ignored for the moment.

"I survived because before my dad sealed a bulkhead above us, I was transported to an underground bunker outside of the affected area by my father's latest creation, the Ogre-Class Heavy Titan designated IS-3," Naruto used his hand to indicate the massive mech that stood next to him. The girls dumbly nodded, still struck by the size of the robot.

"And an earlier design that was meant to replace the knight line of robotic infantry, the prototype Spectre that calls herself Ash."

Said machine stepped into the Malachite twins view, and greeted them.

 **"Good evening."**

Once more, the twins nodded, this time with slight hesitance. Naruto resumed speaking.

"Once inside the bunker, Ash contacted General Ironwood to inform him of my status, and our location. The General was already on his way to investigate, so it didn't take long for the ship to reach us." Naruto paused for air, Junior continued for him.

"When they were onboard, Ironwood and IS-3 figured out that there was leak somewhere in the council, and from there it was decided that since it wasn't known that I'm Naruto's uncle on his mother's side, it would be best if Naruto was brought here for his safety." Junior ended the explanation, his hands clasped together.

"Any questions?"

"Why would the White Fang accept a job from someone in the Atlesian council?" Asked Melanie. The White Fang was Faunus revolutionary league, they weren't mercenaries. And why the Namikazes? It was public knowledge that they were part Faunus, and the most charitable to the species. The Namikazes hired Faunus for equal pay, and even entrusted high positions in their company to them.

"Did you know that when the White Fang first formed, my family funded them?" Naruto answered with a question. The twins shook their heads negatively, understanding were he was going with that inquiry.

"Either their assault was some form of payback for a perceived betrayal when my father stopped funding them, or whoever employed them made an offer they couldn't refuse." Naruto explained with a scowl, and narrowed eyes. Greedy bastards.

"Also," Naruto began to go further, his scowl gone but his eyes still narrow. The twins saw Naruto's pupils thinned to slits.

"The only crime of the council is that they couldn't keep their mouths shut." Naruto stated with disdain.

"The more likely candidates are the leaders of industry in Atlas, my father's rivals." Naruto finished with his arms crossed, and his eyes closed. His eyes opened again when he asked them if they had any other questions.

"Why are we in danger? Aren't you considered dead?" Miltia spoke up. Melanie nodded in agreement to her sister's inquiry. As far as the world knew, Naruto had died the same night his father did. The answer came immediately.

"Simple. If It's found out that I'm still alive, what's to stop someone from hiring a group of mercenaries to shoot this place up, and kill everyone inside? Including you, if not before they make use of your bodies." Naruto bluntly informed them, pleased when he saw his point click inside the twins heads.

"O-ok… We get it." Melanie shook her head to get the thought out of her head, Miltia looked a bit pale, both disturbed by the very real possibility of what could happen if Naruto was found out. Junior made a note to talk to Naruto about subtlety. Especially when it came to that particular subject.

"I'm not trying to scare you, but I won't sugarcoat what could happen." Naruto tried to assure the twins that he was just trying to stress the severity of the consequences if the wrong people found out Naruto was still breathing.

Melanie and Miltia nodded in understanding, though the males could tell they were still unnerved. Naruto saw that they had no other questions so he decided to get to the main reason why he explained everything in the first place.

"Now that you know my circumstances, I need to ask." Naruto stared the two dead in their eyes, they felt as if his glacial orbs pierced into their own malachite ones.

"Will you keep quiet? Will you help me?" The twins detected something in his voice that pleaded with them to agree. The girls then thought about their interactions with the newly revealed Namikaze over these past months. He was kind to them, he never saw them as pieces of meat like most of the boys in their age group usually do. Naruto was fun to talk to, yet he also knew how to stop and listen. Naruto never tried to score with them either, he saw them as Melanie and Miltia Malachite, not as twins to have a threesome with. Now, Naruto further showed his respect for them by coming clean about who he really was. Melanie turned to Miltia and saw her red counterpart nod an affirmative.

So it was settled then. Miltia turned to Naruto and gave their answer, the twins had slight smiles.

"We'll stay quiet."

Naruto, and his uncle both became visibly relieved. Naruto then saw the girls walk up to him, both put a hand on the opposite shoulder, his armor cold to the touch.

"You will still chats with us though right? We rather like talking with you." Melanie requested, and got a chuckle along with a nod. Junior started to leave, the bouncers followed him, but looked back at Naruto and gave small waves before the door was brought down.

Naruto took a slow breath, happy that his worries were laid to rest. His scrolls screen lit up, and when Naruto picked it up he saw a message on it that was from his Titan. The message further increased Naruto's relief.

Apparently IS-3 took it upon himself to listen in, and analyze the voice patterns of the twins while they spoke. The Titan reported that their words were truthful.

While Naruto was glad that he could rely on the Malachite twins, his uncle was more than giddy at how that reveal brought the three closer. Neither Naruto nor the Malachite twin knew it, but Junior definitely saw a spark between them!

What was now needed was for that spark to become an attraction, with some time, and watering a relationship to bloom . Junior rubbed his hands as he took his place behind the bar with a grin. How Naruto's relationship with the twins would develop was something he looked forward to observing, and nudging if needed, knowing how inexperienced Naruto was with the opposite sex, Hei foresaw that he had a bit of work cut out.

Of course, after something good happens, something bad usually follows though this was overdue. Thanks to the remaining bugs, Qrow and Ozpin were able to find out that Naruto had taken an interest in the activities of the members of Vale's council, digging through rather sensitive information. While both men knew Naruto was too tech savvy to be caught, the concern over what he planned to do with his finding warranted a visit. That, and Ozpin saw an opportunity to see how Naruto had adjusted so far.

Once more, since Ozpin going to a club would attract unneeded attention, Qrow was dispatched again. The alcoholic wasn't too bothered by where he was going, in fact, the hunter welcomed the environment, especially given that he was visiting during closed hours which meant no waiting for drinks. Granted, as Qrow left Ozpin's office and exited the elevator, he was stopped by another member of Beacon staff, the stern Glynda Goodwitch. It was a few minutes later that Qrow found himself with a partner. One that guaranteed he wouldn't be allowed to drink.

At least she was already up to date on all the information they had on Naruto, and what their checkup on him was about. Qrow hoped that Naruto wouldn't push Glynda's buttons while he prayed the same woman wouldn't hit a sore spot on Naruto which may piss off that giant mech of his.

Qrow didn't want to be beaten into a paste on the ground, enough said.

During the drive, Qrow insisted that Goodwitch to treat Naruto as an equal.

"He's not only smart, but very perceptive. This kid is definitely Minato's son." Qrow told his companion for this trip. Glynda nodded.

"Is there anything else I should be made aware of?"

"Yeah," Qrow responded with a bit of a smirk as he parked.

"Don't be a hardass. That walking tank of his might not take kindly to it." Qrow teasingly advised after he exited the car, his snickers aggravated the teacher. Glynda breathed in, and composed herself. Glynda was just glad that Qrow parked in the back, and had called ahead. Hei Xiong, the owner of the establishment, told them that if they came in through the front then other people might think he extended his hours to include the day. She was also thankful that the possibility of someone seeing her enter this kind of place was minimized.

Once inside, Goodwitch was rather surprised to see that the interior had a sense of sophistication, it wasn't fancy by any means, but it wasn't your typical nightclub either. Currently, the strobe, and blacklights were off, regular lights illuminated the room, and their objective sat across from two girls-twins by their identical appearances- with individual color schemes, one red with the other being white. Qrow raised an eyebrow when he saw that the three were engaged in what seemed to be a good conversation.

"And I thought he was going to be one of those revenge-driven dickhead types that ignored girls."

Qrow heard a scoff come from behind, when he and his temporary partner turned their bodies around, they saw Junior standing there with an annoyed expression.

"Please don't make my nephew out to be some emo brat that only cares about revenge. He's not some second rate anime antagonist." Junior stated to Qrow before he turned to the woman with Branwen.

"So who're you?"

The woman was rather tall with a height of six feet and 5 inches with her heeled boots on. She wore thin glasses over her light-green eyes, and seemed to be in her middle ages with very light-blond hair in a bun. Glynda wore a white long-sleeved shirt that had a wide keyhole above her well-sized breasts that a bit of skin, and above that was a teal, tear-shaped pendant that matched her earrings. Her midsection down to the upper thigh was covered by a black pencil skirt with bronze buttons, and black-brown stockings hugged her legs. Lastly, a tattered cape that was purple on the inside but black on the outside was draped around her shoulders.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch, I am an associate of Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood." Glynda introduced herself calmly. She understood that Hei was not expecting her, and was right to be cautious. He was hiding his nephew after all.

"Alright, you guys know where he's at. Feel free to talk to him out here." Junior told them, before he walked away, his heading was behind the bar to check the liquor counter. The two turned back towards Naruto, and saw that he had noticed them, his mood dropped while the girls with him sighed before they got up, and left with small amounts of disappointment in their eyes. It went unseen by Naruto since he was more focused on Qrow and the woman with him. Naruto guessed based on what his father had told him of Ozpin's group that this might have been Glynda Goodwitch, a teacher at Beacon that was a no-nonsense type.

 _"Lovely…"_ Naruto internally groaned when the two made their way towards him. Qrow was the first to say something when he and Glynda sat across from Naruto.

"Well you seem to have made some friends since we last met." Qrow observed as he placed his legs up on the table and lean back which got him more than few narrowed eyes, from both his temporary partner, and the workers of The Club.

"Let's just get down to your purpose here." Naruto requested. He crossed his arms as his gaze kept moving between the two adults across from him.

"It's either my hacking or that I've made weapons for myself." Naruto guessed.

"Ozpin wants to know why your looking into the activities of Vale's council." Goodwitch answered with a disapproving tone. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" He asked, surprised that it wasn't an order that he stop. The adults were also caught off-guard. They both assumed to different levels that Naruto planned to use whatever he had found.

"I'm just looking for blackmail material should I need it. Every politician has skeletons in their closet, and let me tell you," Naruto leaned closer.

"You guys seriously need a new council." Finished the Namikaze before he leaned back with closed eyes. Qrow and Glynda looked at each other before they stared back at Naruto who had reopened his eyes.

"… What did you find?" Qrow cautiously asked. He had no doubt that the members of Vale's council had done some unsavory things, but for a Namikaze to say what he did, then it must be a big issue. Glynda's brows furrowed, and she wanted to stop the conversation from going further off track, but like Qrow, what Naruto had just told them raised multiple red flags. Of course, what came out of Naruto's mouth made them roll their eyes. Glynda felt a headache start to form.

"They have no plans for any exponential growth! No drive for progress!" Naruto grimaced. It was abhorrent to him.

"Those idiots are completely content with stagnation." Naruto hissed in disgust. Stagnation. A word that was hated by his family. Vale's leaders were completely fine with the way things were. In a way it made sense given how grandiose Vale's past leaders were.

 _"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that."_

"Is that it?" Glynda asked with a blank face.

"Well, there's also the massive drug ring that one runs, and the cover ups of every members sex scandals, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary, typical bureaucratic carp your leaders love to use so they can line their own pockets while weakening Vale, such as replacing Ozpin. " Naruto causally answered while he uncrossed his arms and leaned back with his hands behind his head. Glynda's jaw dropped when those words came out of Naruto's mouth, specifically the bit about Ozpin. Naruto raised An eyebrow.

"This surprises you?" He asked the blond woman across from.

"It shouldn't. Ozpin has massive sway because of his position, both in Vale and across Remnant." Naruto clicked his tongue.

"These idiots obviously feel a nonexistent threat to their own status, or are just that jealous of his influence." Naruto rolled his eyes. Typical political B.S. always halts progress. The council of Vale was definitely why they were so far behind Atlas in everything.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about or is there any other reason Ozpin sent you?" Naruto asked, trying to move the conversation elsewhere. Qrow wanted to ask what Naruto was building weapons, and ammo for, but Glynda had other concerns.

"You didn't think to tell us of these thing so that the justice system could remove these individuals or at least investigate them?!" Glynda hotly asked with narrowed eyes. Qrow silently put a palm on his face. Here we go…

"Ever heard of bribing judges or paying off jurors?" Naruto shot back, and unleashed a verbal barrage against the female teacher across from him.

"There's also crooked cops, and since I know Ozpin wouldn't want the media to cause chaos, it would be a simple move of hiring assassins to keep this quiet. What else?" Naruto tapped his chin in mock thought, Glynda grit her teeth at his body language. A game! He was treating this like a game!

"Oh yeah, this is the one that really matters." A serious expression covered his face, all mirth lost.

"What happens if it's discovered you got this information from me, then whoever killed my father knows I'm alive, and now I've got a target on the back of my head."

Ok, Naruto had a point there. Namikazes only took risks they considered worth it for the continuation of progress. Qrow realized that right now, Naruto cared more about his own life than about Vale's political status. It must've clicked with Goodwitch too, as she backed down. Naruto nodded as he saw that they understood.

"It's nothing personal but I refuse to tip off my father's murder just to remove a few old corrupt idiots so younger corrupt idiots can make a bigger mess." Naruto let his smirk come back.

" I already have to clean up Atlas when Ironwood says I'm ready, a goal that you've already seen me working on since you know of my hacking." Both adults nodded, they figured that they might as well know more about it.

"You seem to have taken quickly to blacksmithing if that revolver and machine pistol are anything to go by." Qrow commented. Naruto nodded as he pulled out the B3 Wingman from the back of his pants and paid it across the table before he slid the revolver to Qrow. The veteran hunter picked it up and whistled with approval at the craftsmanship of the gun. The adult man had to admit that Naruto had some talent, though the fact that he was related to the inventor of mecha-shift probably had some influence.

"The design is a bit odd but I've never been one for normal." Naruto stated as Qrow examined the hexagonal chamber of the Wingman. Glynda was a bit interested, but moved the conversation back to Naruto's plans.

"How else are you training yourself so that you can return? The General must have placed the bar high." She asked, her full attention on Naruto. Qrow took the hint and gave the gun back to Naruto. After he slipped the revolver back into previous place, Naruto gave a small shrug before he answered rather plainly.

"Without a proper mentor there's not much I can do except rely on Ash to help me in hand to hand, and try to improve my accuracy and precision with my weapons." Naruto stated with a sigh.

"I can't run around and improve my ability to move around with my jump kit, there's not enough room for that." Naruto ceased to speak, rather annoyed at his current situation. The hunters across didn't fault the Namikaze for the way he felt, they knew they would too if their opportunities to improve themselves were as limited as his.

"Yeah, that sucks kid." Qrow agreed as he leaned back and looked up at the rafters. Glynda felt that at the moment, Naruto was just something that should continue being monitored. There were few more questions she wanted to ask to get a better feel of Naruto's moral guidelines, but Qrow stood up rather abruptly.

"Well, it was nice talking to ya again, but that's all the time we have, but we'll be back."

Naruto nodded, glad that the pseudo- investigation was over. Glynda got up and gave a short farewell before she left the building with Qrow. She was going to rip him a new one when they got back in the car.

Naruto waited for them to leave before he began to massage his temples. Damn it! There were still devices set in place to watch him. Maybe it was time to use a more through way of looking for those remaining bugs.

"Hey…"

"What was that about?"

Naruto looked to his right to see Militia, and from there he knew Melanie was on the left. They both had concerned expressions as they sat at his sides instead of across from him.

"Just Ozpin checking on me." Naruto answered, his hands folded with his head against them while his elbows were the table.

"I still have some cleaning to do it seems."

Qrow and Goodwitch had just entered the car, and right before Glynda could commence giving Qrow a verbal lashing, he spoke.

"Raven was up in the rafters. She most likely heard everything." The chronically drunk hunter shook his head in a self-chastising manner.

"Of course she's watching him. She's always watching someone."

Whatever feelings of frustration and indignation Glynda felt was replaced by dread. If Raven heard everything…

"When do you think she'll approach him?" Glynda asked with a sigh. Raven knew Naruto was looking for a mentor. What's to stop her from offering to be that person? Qrow had the same thoughts in his head but there was a small chance that Raven would stay away. At least until those bugs were removed, and of course for one other reason.

"Naruto knows we're still watching him but even if he does remove the bugs, Raven might still hesitate because of IS-3."

The blond teacher nodded. She had seen the campus footage of when the Titan was on Beacon's grounds, it's impressive size and intimidating form would make even insane people think twice.

The drive back to Beacon would be silent, both hunters were deep in thought at the possibilities of what would happen when- not if- Raven Branwen introduced herself to Naruto Namikaze.

 **CUT!**

 **CHAPTER OVER!**

 **OK, I have to cut this chapter short. This Sunday, as those of you who live in the US know, Hurricane Irma is about to slam into Florida. I don't live on the coast but the entire state is going to be covered as my family and I will be riding it out. As soon as I can, I'll let all of you know if I'm OK.**

 **To get off that subject, Raven won the poll. Next chapter will have the IS-3 action, and other exciting developments. Please keep us in Florida, Georgia, and Carolina in mind in the coming week.**

 **Later! Greyblueflames needs to finish last minute supply gathering!**


End file.
